Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet and his discovery
If you are a work-out fanatic, you probably heard BMI before. BMI was originally known as the Quetelet Index. It stands for body mass index, which is an important indicator of body fatness. You might do not know this index is first introduced by a Belgian statistician. His name is Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet.
Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet was born in 1796, an outstanding astronomer, statistician, and sociologist. He believes that people’s growth bases on a set of existing rules. From a statistical point of view, we can use statistics to estimate a person’s growth. Therefore, he invented the height and body mass (a.k.a BMI) index to determine a person’s health.
Body mass index evaluates a person’s health according to thickness or thinness in numeric form. It allows health care staffs more objectively to discuss weight with their patients. The body mass index is universally expressed in kilogram per square meter. The formula of BMI is as following:
For an individual, the value recommendation as of 2014 are:
1. Optimal weight: 18.5 ~ 25 kilogram per square meter
2. Underweight: < 18.5 kilogram per square meter
3. Overweight: 25~30 kilogram per square meter
4. Obese: > 30 kilogram per square meter
However, these recommended distinctions may vary from country to country. Individuals from different ethnic groups may have a slightly different association between BMI and health risks. In addition to this, scientists also argue that BMI overestimates around 10% for a tall frame and underestimates approximately 10% for short stature. This means short stature people usually have the potential to carry more fat than optimal but their BMI shows that they are optimal. For large framed individuals, they might be more likely to be classified as overweight even if they are quite healthy.
