Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Clinical Anthropometrics and Body Composition from 3-Dimensional Optical Imaging
Published on: June 7, 2024
Body mass index and percentage body fat as health indicators for young adults
Yvonne Brooks1, David R Black, Daniel C Coster
1Brooks Consulting, LLC, Orlando, FL, USA.
Objectives:
To investigate the validity of an axiom that body mass index (BMI) and percentage body fat (%BF), above an ideal, are health risk factors.
Methods:
Participants were 2615 volunteers who participated in a health-screening program conducted in college residence halls over a consecutive 8-year period.
Results:
Nearly half of all participants were misclassified when BMI and/or %BF were used to define better versus poorer health whether analyzing all variables together, by individual factor, or by type of variable.
Conclusions:
Results of this study indicate that BMI and %BF are poor indicators of health status among young adults.
Related Concept Videos
Obesity
Body Water Content and Fluid Compartments
Anorexia Nervosa
Symptoms and Physical Effects
Individuals with anorexia nervosa commonly exhibit extreme...
Bone Disorders
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...
Drug Dosing: Obese Patients
Metabolic Rate
The Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) measures the energy expended at rest.
Several factors influence the...
