THE CONCEPT OF ‘IDEAL WEIGHT’
The advantage of weight is that it is a simple, accurate and reliable measurement. For individuals, significant changes in weight over the long term usually reflect significant changes in body composition.
Over the years, several attempts have been made to establish a series of ‘ideal weight’ measures as a goal for people to aim for. One of the first of these, the ‘Broce Index’, was estimated in kilograms by taking 100 away from height (in cm). In other words, a person 180cm tall might be expected to have an ‘ideal weight’ of 180-100=80kg. Ideal weights for height have also been developed over the years (beginning in the late 19th century in the US) based on actuarial, or death statistics. More recently, ideal measures of body mass index, skinfolds and fat distribution have been used (see below). However, scientists have yet to agree on a measure of ‘ideal’, and now generally accept that a variety of the measures discussed below have to be combined.
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