title: Fad diets and obesity--Part I: Measuring weight in a clinical setting.
abstract: Obesity is a recognized epidemic in many regions around the world and billions of dollars are spent each year in attempting to combat this problem. However, before a discussion of the different conventional and alternative treatments for obesity can be initiated, it is first critical to determine whether or not a certain individual is actually overweight, obese, or has an excess of adipose tissue. Therefore, a review of the various popular and unpopular measurements of obesity is needed. A variety of measurements exist such as bioelectrical impedance, body mass index (BMI), crude weight, densitometry, dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), lean body mass (LBM), skinfold thickness, and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). All of these measurements contain inherent advantages and disadvantages, but many of these can still be used in a clinical setting. Health professionals should acquaint themselves with these different measurements in order to take the first step in bringing attention to and potentially treating a condition that affects virtually every medical discipline.
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan Medical Center, Department of Urology, Section of Urology, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Moyad
mesh_terms: D000886:Anthropometry; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D003720:Densitometry; D004033:Diet Fads; D017097:Electric Impedance; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012885:Skinfold Thickness