Doctors propose new definitions of obesity that would move away from BMI – CBC
New definitions, diagnostic criteria could reduce stigma for people with larger bodies, doctor says
Jan 14, 2025
Major medical groups are proposing a change to how doctors diagnose obesity.
In Tuesday’s issue of The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 58 international experts across a range of medical specialties and people with lived experience released a report proposing a new definition and diagnostic criteria for clinical obesity. They say the current medical approaches to diagnose obesity don’t reliably assess an individual’s health.
The international Commission on Clinical Obesity which proposed the new definitions called it a nuanced approach. Their report includes 18 diagnostic criteria for clinical obesity in adults and 13 criteria for children and adolescents.
“It’s very important that we move away from thinking just about weight and height and focus on health,” said Dr. Katherine Morrison, one of the authors of the global commission and a pediatric endocrinologist and professor at McMaster University in Hamilton.
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/obesity-defined-1.7431181
