Body fat percentage vs. Weighing?

zipperfall

So, I was thinking about the whole obsession with body fat percentage and how it's a more accurate depiction of how healthy/fit you are and I got to wondering this: why do doctors' offices still utilize scales? When you go to get a regular checkup, wouldn't it make more sense to calculate the patient's body fat %?

Greenrun99

takes longer and requires more expensive items normally than a scale.. plus they use BMI still which is based off height/weight... just goes to show you that most doctors know nothing about nutrition.

jwdieter

Weighing takes ~20 seconds and can be done with clothes on.
Decent body fat analysis takes about 20 minutes and requires a changing room and bathing suit.

BMI provides an easy framework to use and understand, and nearly everyone who registers BMI obese is actually quite fat.

timbrom

Also, all body fat measurements can be way off for some people. You hear stories of competition-fit bodybulders at about 3-4% bodyfat registering in the high teens even on a DEXA scan, which is (on average) quite accurate but also expensive. BIA scales are cheap and easy, but are pretty much useless, especially at a doctors office where a patients current hydration can have a significant effect on the measurement. Calipers require training, still have a larg-ish margin of error and the measurements taken by two different people can vary significantly.

A scale is cheap, easy, accurate, gives you a number, can be done by anyone with no training and, really, for most of the population, BMI is at least a decent ballpark measurement. And assuming your doctor is not a complete idiot, they'll be okay with a person who is "overweight" if they are also lean.

The only truly accurate way to measure bodyfat is dissection, which has a less than optimal outcome.

ottermotorcycle

Yeah they're just general practitioners, and if body fat isn't a big issue it's more expensive and difficult to do. Though skinfold calipers are cheap and relatively accurate... I get my body fat tested more often than I step on the scale, but I get it done with calipers for free on campus.

I have been wondering if I'll be able to ask my doc when I get home... but as I don't have any weight-related health issues I don't know that I'll be able to.

PJPrimrose

"The only truly accurate way to measure bodyfat is dissection, which has a less than optimal outcome." I must say, medical humor is entirely too easy to spot!:laugh: