Original version

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

CrowdScience

Documentaries

Factual: Science & Nature

Factual: Science & Nature: Science & Technology

Answering your questions about life, Earth and the universe

We take your questions about life, Earth and the universe to researchers hunting for answers at the frontiers of knowledge.

No Master Brand

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC Afghan Radio

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service News Internet

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

BBC World Service East Asia

CrowdScience: Is the BMI fatphobic?

Discussion & Talk

Is the BMI fatphobic?

15/03/2024 GMT

BBC World Service - CrowdScience, Is the BMI fatphobic?

The BMI, or Body Mass Index, is used globally to flag health risks associated with weight. But is it actually useful, and why is there growing concern it could be bad for us?

Crowd Science listener Maik wants to know what the BMI is and what his BMI score says about his body. He trains dogs for a living and wonders if, like different breeds of dog, we simply have different body types?
 
Marnie Chesterton comes up with some answers, talking to doctors about how the BMI is used and misused in clinical practice, and looks at some alternative methods for measuring our body composition. She also sits down with philosopher Kate Manne to discuss the realities of living in a fat-phobic world. 
 
We hear from Tonga in the South Pacific, where high BMI scores have labelled the country highly obese. But this is not necessarily how Tongans see themselves. 
 
And Marnie finds out if the BMI will continue to be used across the world as an important health marker or whether it is destined for the scrap heap of medical history.  
 
Contributors:
Professor Kate Manne
Dr Francesco Rubino
Dr Naveed Sattar
Professor Brendon Noble
Technician Leah Siegel
Fononga Pulu 
Sela Latailakepa
 
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producer: Richard Walker
Editor: Cathy Edwards
Production co-ordinator: Connor Morgans
Studio manager: Emma Harth

Accessibility links

Programme Index

CrowdScience

Is the BMI fatphobic?

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

About BBC World Service