In the doctor's office, Sola anxiously waits to be attended to. The doctor, engrossed in his tablet, rushes in and sighs and says
"Have you tried losing weight?”
Sola, a 220-pound individual standing at about 6’ 0, looks perplexed. The doctor's abrupt question catches her off guard.
“What? I am here for my ear infection check-up and to get a signed medication refill”
The doctor persists,
“But have you tried losing weight?”
Sola, clearly irritated, responds,
“I just need the prescription, so I can be on my way. Thank you.”
Such encounters are all too familiar, especially for women. Whether you sprain your leg or have a headache, the default suggestion often seems to be "lose weight!" Weight is frequently seen as a potential cause rather than a symptom.
As a woman, sometimes I feel we are targeted in segregated groups. If you are young and have the ideal weight; you get the reply “It’s just your anxiety or you are too young to be ill”. If you are on the bigger side; “Lose some weight”, then if you are probably on the older side or middle age; “It’s probably that damn menopause”. Before we delve any further, let's talk about the history of the body mass index(BMI)
Adolphe Quetelet. (2024, January 8). In Wikipedia.
Link
This is Adolphe Quetelet, a Belgian astronomer, mathematician, statistician, and sociologist, introduced the concept of BMI between the 1830s and 1850s. His ideologies behind the BMI were rooted in what he termed "Social physics" – a study of l'homme moyen, or the average man. Quetelet envisioned the average man as a social ideal and developed the BMI as a means of identifying this socially ideal human person.
Quetelet's formulation of the BMI began with the measurement of typical weights among French and Scottish conscripts. The BMI, considering both height and mass, was initially tailored to the populations of these conscripts, primarily representing individuals of European ethnicity.
The history behind the body mass index is like studying a fish in a pond and using that fish attribute to generalize the remaining fish in that pond or another pond. In my personal opinion, I view it rather classist that the ideal healthy weight is coined off the ideal human person on a social level.
However, the context in which BMI is used today has evolved, and its application has broadened significantly. BMI is a simple calculation based on a person's height and weight, expressed as a numeric value. Despite its widespread use, BMI has faced criticisms for oversimplifying complex health factors. It doesn't differentiate between muscle and fat, making it less accurate for individuals with high muscle mass.
Picture this: every time i visit the doctor and they bring up the BMI chart, it's like a little voice saying, "You need to dig deep and find your inner socially ideal European ethnicity weight.". Like "sir please, i am just here for malaria treatment.
Returning to Sola's scenario, the doctor's immediate focus on weight raises questions about the prevailing perception of weight in healthcare. Many women, and individuals in general, have experienced similar situations where unrelated health concerns are attributed to weight without thorough examination.
Weight stigma in healthcare can lead to misdiagnoses, delayed treatments, and a focus on weight loss rather than addressing the actual health issues. This phenomenon is not new; it has historical roots in the way weight has been perceived and studied, as exemplified by Quetelet's initial focus on average weights.
In contemporary healthcare, a shift towards a more holistic approach is essential. Instead of immediately associating health concerns with weight, healthcare providers should conduct thorough assessments and consider various factors.
Health is a complex interplay of genetics, lifestyle, mental health, and environmental factors – reducing it solely to weight oversimplifies the intricate nature of human well-being.
Sola's frustration in the doctor's office is reflective of the broader issue of weight-centric healthcare. While maintaining a healthy weight is crucial, it should not overshadow other essential aspects of healthcare, such as addressing specific health concerns and providing comprehensive, patient-centered care.
As we reflect on the history of BMI and its contemporary applications, it becomes evident that a nuanced and individualized approach to healthcare is necessary. The focus should be on promoting overall well-being, considering diverse factors that contribute to an individual's health, and moving away from a one-size-fits-all mentality that often revolves around weight.
To address this, a paradigm shift is needed in both healthcare practices and data management. Healthcare providers should conduct thorough assessments, considering various factors like genetics, lifestyle, mental health, and environmental influences. Similarly, data collection and interpretation should be more inclusive, ensuring a diverse representation that goes beyond simplistic weight-based metrics.
By acknowledging and addressing these biases, we can pave the way for a more inclusive, personalized, and data-driven approach to healthcare that prioritizes quality and fairness for all individuals, irrespective of their weight.
In the doctor's office, Sola anxiously waits to be attended to. The doctor, engrossed in his tablet, rushes in and sighs and says
Sola, a 220-pound individual standing at about 6’ 0, looks perplexed. The doctor's abrupt question catches her off guard.
The doctor persists,
Sola, clearly irritated, responds,
Such encounters are all too familiar, especially for women. Whether you sprain your leg or have a headache, the default suggestion often seems to be "lose weight!" Weight is frequently seen as a potential cause rather than a symptom.
As a woman, sometimes I feel we are targeted in segregated groups. If you are young and have the ideal weight; you get the reply “It’s just your anxiety or you are too young to be ill”. If you are on the bigger side; “Lose some weight”, then if you are probably on the older side or middle age; “It’s probably that damn menopause”. Before we delve any further, let's talk about the history of the body mass index(BMI)
In Wikipedia. Link
This is Adolphe Quetelet, a Belgian astronomer, mathematician, statistician, and sociologist, introduced the concept of BMI between the 1830s and 1850s. His ideologies behind the BMI were rooted in what he termed "Social physics" – a study of l'homme moyen, or the average man. Quetelet envisioned the average man as a social ideal and developed the BMI as a means of identifying this socially ideal human person.
Quetelet's formulation of the BMI began with the measurement of typical weights among French and Scottish conscripts. The BMI, considering both height and mass, was initially tailored to the populations of these conscripts, primarily representing individuals of European ethnicity.
The history behind the body mass index is like studying a fish in a pond and using that fish attribute to generalize the remaining fish in that pond or another pond. In my personal opinion, I view it rather classist that the ideal healthy weight is coined off the ideal human person on a social level.
However, the context in which BMI is used today has evolved, and its application has broadened significantly. BMI is a simple calculation based on a person's height and weight, expressed as a numeric value. Despite its widespread use, BMI has faced criticisms for oversimplifying complex health factors. It doesn't differentiate between muscle and fat, making it less accurate for individuals with high muscle mass.
Returning to Sola's scenario, the doctor's immediate focus on weight raises questions about the prevailing perception of weight in healthcare. Many women, and individuals in general, have experienced similar situations where unrelated health concerns are attributed to weight without thorough examination.
Weight stigma in healthcare can lead to misdiagnoses, delayed treatments, and a focus on weight loss rather than addressing the actual health issues. This phenomenon is not new; it has historical roots in the way weight has been perceived and studied, as exemplified by Quetelet's initial focus on average weights.
In contemporary healthcare, a shift towards a more holistic approach is essential. Instead of immediately associating health concerns with weight, healthcare providers should conduct thorough assessments and consider various factors.
Health is a complex interplay of genetics, lifestyle, mental health, and environmental factors – reducing it solely to weight oversimplifies the intricate nature of human well-being.
Sola's frustration in the doctor's office is reflective of the broader issue of weight-centric healthcare. While maintaining a healthy weight is crucial, it should not overshadow other essential aspects of healthcare, such as addressing specific health concerns and providing comprehensive, patient-centered care.
As we reflect on the history of BMI and its contemporary applications, it becomes evident that a nuanced and individualized approach to healthcare is necessary. The focus should be on promoting overall well-being, considering diverse factors that contribute to an individual's health, and moving away from a one-size-fits-all mentality that often revolves around weight.
To address this, a paradigm shift is needed in both healthcare practices and data management. Healthcare providers should conduct thorough assessments, considering various factors like genetics, lifestyle, mental health, and environmental influences. Similarly, data collection and interpretation should be more inclusive, ensuring a diverse representation that goes beyond simplistic weight-based metrics.
By acknowledging and addressing these biases, we can pave the way for a more inclusive, personalized, and data-driven approach to healthcare that prioritizes quality and fairness for all individuals, irrespective of their weight.
Original Post Date: 2023-11-27 at 2:00 PM