A retrospective analysis of 1,234 Americans indicated a substantial underdiagnosis of obesity
when Body Mass Index (BMI) was used compared to the Dual Engergy X-ray
Absorptiometry (DEXA) scan. This analysis will be released on Friday,
April 23, 2010 at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists
(AACE) 19th Annual Meeting & Clinical Congress in Boston.
To date, no large-scale comparison has been made between BMI and DEXA,
a direct measure of percentage body fat. A team of physicians and
scientists from PATH Foundation NY reviewed the medical records of
1,234 patients from 2003 to 2009 to obtain BMI (from height and weight)
and percentage body fat (from Hologic DEXA). Subjects were classified
as obese or non-obese based on the American Bariatric Society's
classification of obesity, which is a BMI of 30 or higher or a percent
body fat of 25 or higher in males and percent body fat of 30 or higher
in females.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) traditionally
consider an adult with a BMI between 25 and 29.9 as overweight while an
adult with a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese.
