Summary

BMI is an index of body weight corrected for body height calculated as kg/m2. In epidemiology, clinical practice, and research BMI is used for characterization and categorization of weight status. BMI is simple to calculate, it is documented in individual health records and is assumed to be applicable to every population. When compared with other weight-to-height indices, in adults BMI had the weakest correlation with height while BMI has the strongest correlation with fat mass (FM [1]). Nevertheless, a residual correlation with height persists. In addition, adiposity and sex decrease the power of height standardization of body weight [2]. In addition, different heights influence the prevalence of people with obesity: In adults, the prevalence of BMI > 30 kg/m2 gradually increased with decreasing percentile of height whereas in children and adolescents, a positive association between height and weight status was observed [3].