Beyond BMI, the researcher says a holistic approach to measuring health is better

For decades, the number on the scale has been a key factor in deciding whether a person is healthy or not. But weight alone does not give a complete picture of health.

People have been using body mass index (BMI) to measure body fat based on height and weight since the 19th century. According to the American Medical Association (AMA), BMI isn’t the ideal way to do this because it doesn’t account for differences in age, gender, race/ethnicity, body shape, genetics, and muscle and body fat percentage.

“It’s not a perfect measure because it’s just an estimate of your mass for your height, and there are other factors, including genetics, that play a role in your overall health,” said Dr. Barbara Bauer, a family medicine physician and clinical assistant in Family and Community Medicine at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. “A person can have a normal BMI but not be healthy, and a person can have a higher BMI and actually be generally healthy otherwise.”

Instead, Bauer recommends taking a deep look at health by focusing on the BASICS. Following the checklist can help prevent illness and spot health problems early.

Brain: How strong is your cognitive health? Do you have trouble remembering appointments or important dates? Do you often move things around? Has your score on the SAGE test, a self-administered test that can spot early signs of dementia, changed in the past year?

Activity: How active are you? Do you do 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week? Do you experience pain when you exercise? Do you sit for more than eight hours a day?

Stomach: How healthy is your digestive system? Do you have indigestion, stomach pain or bloating? Are your bowel movements regular? Is there blood in the stool? Have you had unexplained weight gain or loss?

Immunity: Do you get sick often or get frequent infections? Does it take you longer than others to recover from an illness? Do you have any recommended vaccines?

Checkups: Have you completed an annual checkup with your primary care physician? Do you have health concerns? Are you keeping up with all the recommended screenings?

Sleep: Are you getting seven to nine hours of sleep each night? Are you tired during the day? Do you often need a nap to get you through the day?

Bawer suggests completing the BASICS checklist monthly to identify any changes in health. Make an appointment with your doctor to discuss any red flags.

“If you let small problems go or you think, ‘Oh, it’s just nothing,’ they tend to turn into bigger problems over time,” Bauer said. “Whereas if you bring it to your primary care doctor, we can hopefully catch it early, potentially prevent complications and treat it right away.”