ACE Health Coach Certification Practice Test

What health measure can be inaccurate for individuals with normal-weight obesity?

1. Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR)

2. Skinfold measurements

3. Body mass index (BMI)

4. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA)

The correct answer is: Body mass index (BMI)

Body mass index (BMI) can often be inaccurate for individuals with normal-weight obesity because it only takes into account weight and height, failing to distinguish between muscle and fat. This means that someone with a normal BMI can still have a high percentage of body fat and low muscle mass, which characterizes normal-weight obesity. BMI does not provide information on the distribution of fat in the body or assess body composition, leading to a misrepresentation of an individual’s health status. In contrast, other measurement tools like waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), skinfold measurements, and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) tend to give a more nuanced understanding of body composition. WHR focuses on fat distribution, skinfold measurements estimate fat thickness to assess body fat percentage, and BIA uses electrical currents to measure resistance and estimate the composition of body tissues. Hence, these methods are more effective in addressing the nuances of body composition, particularly for those who may seem to have a healthy weight but carry excess body fat.