> You yourself admit that it has shortcomings, but then defend it as what... 'better than nothing'? No, I defend it as any other useful indicator (and there ar

> You yourself admit that it has shortcomings, but then defend it as what... 'better than nothing'? No, I defend it as any other useful indicator (and there are publications on BMI usefulness), to be used by knowledgeable persons. You wouldn't blame "miles per gallon" as something bad because someone evaluated the SUV against the economy-class car standards, right? A physician looking at a patient might decide to look at BMI, if the thinks it is adequate. A large institution (e.g. an university) might also use it to classify its population as a whole.