Weight Standards: Their Clinical Significance
Authors: C. WAYNE CALLAWAY
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1984)

Editorials1 February 1984Weight Standards: Their Clinical SignificanceC. WAYNE CALLAWAY, M.D.C. WAYNE CALLAWAY, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-100-2-296 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptThe notion of ideal weight has been with us for sometime. Although the term itself seems to have been coined by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in 1942 (1, 2), the idea that there are optimal weights for heights goes back at least to the turn of the century (3). Elsewhere in this issue, Simopoulos and Van Itallie (4) summarize the deliberations of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) workshop that attempted to unravel some of the problems associated with the nonstandardized and often indiscriminate use of terms such as "ideal weight," "desirable weight," and "acceptable weight"; the epidemiologic studies...References1. Ideal weight for women. Stat Bull Metrop Life Insur Co. 1942;23(October):6-8. Google Scholar2. Ideal weight for men. Stat Bull Metrop Life Insur Co. 1943;24(June):6-8. Google Scholar3. KEYS A. Overweight, obesity, coronary heart disease and mortality. Nutr Rev. 1980;38:297-307. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. SIMOPOULOSVAN ITALLIE AT. Body weight, health, and longevity. Ann Intern Med. 1984;100:285-95. LinkGoogle Scholar5. 1983 Height and Weight Tables. New York: Metropolitan Life Insurance Company; 1983. (Available from the Health and Safety Education Division, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, One Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010; or by telephoning Ms. Wagner at 212-578-5806). Google Scholar6. Build Study 1979. Chicago: Society of Actuaries and Association of Life Insurance Medical Directors of America; 1980. Google Scholar7. Build and Blood Pressure Study, 1959. Vol. 1 Chicago: Society of Actuaries; 1959:1-268. Google Scholar8. BRUNZELL J. Obesity and risk for cardiovascular disease. In: GREENWOOD MRC, ed. Obesity. New York: Churchill Livingstone, Inc.; 1983. (Contemporary Issues in Clinical Nutrition Series, Vol. 4). Google Scholar9. RUDERMANSCHNEIDERBERCHTOLD NSP. The "metabolically-obese," normal-weight individual. Am J Clin Nutr. 1981;34:1617-21. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. SIMS E. Characterization of the syndromes of obesity. In: BRODOFF BN, BLEICHER S, eds. Diabetes Mellitus & Obesity. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins; 1982. Google Scholar11. The thyroid in diabetes mellitus, obesity and fasting. Life Sci. 1981;28:1673-859. MedlineGoogle Scholar12. GRINKERHIRSCH JJ. Metabolic and behavioral correlates of obesity. Ciba Found Symp. 1972;8:349-69. MedlineGoogle Scholar13. SIMS E. Syndromes of obesity. In: DEGROOT LJ, ed. Endocrinology. Vol. 3. New York: Grune & Stratton; 1979. Google Scholar14. Healthy People: The Surgeon General's Report on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Rockville, Maryland: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health and Surgeon General, 1979. DHEW Publication No. (PHS) 79-55071. Google Scholar15. Healthy People: The Surgeon General's Report on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention: Background Papers. Rockville, Maryland: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health and Surgeon General; 1979. DHEW Publication No. (PHS) 79-55071A. Google Scholar16. MARTONSOXKRUPP KHJ. Involuntary weight loss: diagnostic and prognostic significance. Ann Intern Med. 1981;95:568-74. LinkGoogle Scholar17. CALLAWAYGREENWOOD CM. Introduction to the Workshop on Methods for Characterizing Human Obesity. Int J Obes. (In press). Google Scholar18. HARRISON G. Purposes and types of classification. Int J Obes. (In press). Google Scholar19. WEED L. New premises and new tools for medical education. Möbius. 1982;2:24-33. MedlineGoogle Scholar20. CALLAWAY C. Obesity: a "culture-bound" syndrome [Editorial]? Mayo Clin Proc. 1982;57:327-8. Google Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Mayo Clinic; Rochester, Minnesota PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByThe role of weight management in the health of womenPRESENT AND DESIRED BODY WEIGHTS OF AUSTRALIAN ADULTS: A CAUSE FOR CONCERN? 1 February 1984Volume 100, Issue 2Page: 296-298KeywordsEpidemiology Issue Published: 1 February 1984 PDF DownloadLoading ...