Body Mass Index Relationship to Mortality Jerome Timothy Gronniger, MPP, MHSA AgeVenture News Service, 12-23-05 This study analyzed the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and mortality in order to assess the adequacy of conventional BMI categories for planning public health programs to reduce mortality. The goal was to analzye the 1987 and 1989 versions of the National Health Interview Survey to the 1995 Multiple Cause of Death File in order to obtain mortality information. The researcher constructed a nonlinear estimate of the association between BMI and mortality using a semiparametric regression technique. Here's what the researcher found. The mortality risk among "normal" weight men (i.e., those in the BMI range of 20 to 25 kg/m2) was as high as that among men in the mild obesity category (BMIs of 30–35 kg/m2), with a minimum risk observed at a BMI of approximately 26 kg/m2. Among women, the mortality risk was smallest at approximately 23 to 24 kg/m2, with the risk increasing steadily with BMIs above 27 kg/m2. In each specification, the slope of the line was small and volatile through the BMI range of 20 to 35 kg/m2, suggesting negligible risk differences with minor differences in weight for much of the population. Conclusion. Traditional BMI categories do not conform well to the complexities of the BMI–mortality relationship. In concurrence with conclusions from previous literature, the researcher found that the current definitions of obesity and overweight are imprecise predictors of mortality risk. SEE RELATED ARTICLES IN THE AGEVENTURE ARCHIVES AgeVenture Lifestyle Features AgeVenture Headline News BACK TO TOP