On June 25, 2012, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force renewed a call for every adult to be screened for obesity during medical checkups, and urging doctors to refer those patients with BMIs above 30 for intensive nutrition and fitness counseling.
We, the undersigned, ask that, instead of using BMI alone, science-based health indicators (such as blood pressure and cholesterol and triglyceride levels), lifestyle factors (such as smoking, drinking and exercise activity), and family and personal medical history also be considered. Many healthy Americans have BMIs of 30 and above, and relying on body size alone is not an accurate indication of health status.
Including these science-based factors will help target patients actually at risk, and reduce the cost of the intervention program.