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Why is it a lie that weight is an indicator of health
Psychology
The psychologist Laura Rodríguez and the psychologist Juanjo Rodrigo, from the ‘In Mental Balance’ team, explain the reasons why weighing more or less is not a reflection of our state of health
PM4:11For some years, and more in today’s societies, people are exposed to thousands of images a day through advertising, television or social networks. Bodies and appearance of these (weight, height, size or body shape) are an issue that affects us and influences many people.
Throughout our lives, we internalize messages that help us to position ourselves in the world, in our day to day life. One of them is that weight determines a person’s health. Health is a complex concept, which evolves through time thanks to research and the changes that occur in the ways of life of all people; and that it is determined by many individual, social and relational factors. Weight is not an indicator of health nor is it an indicator of habits. We cannot know anything about a person’s health just by knowing their weight or seeing their body size.
Even today, from different spheres, the Body Mass Index (BMI), a measure whose origin is located in the nineteenth century. This index was introduced by Adolph Quetelet, a mathematician whose goal was to study populations statistically and was never intended as a quantitative measure of people’s health or body fat. Various investigations have revealed the limitations of BMI. Among them, we see that this measurement does not differentiate between the weight of different body structures such as organs, muscles, fluids or fat.
For example, the BMI of a muscular person who is dedicated to weightlifting may be higher than what, from the BMI ranges, is considered ‘normal weight’. BMI cannot say anything about a person’s healthHow you eat, what activities you do, how much stress or what family or medical history you have. We cannot know someone’s health status just by looking at them. Each person has different needs and body diversity exists.
The psychologist Laura Rodríguez Mondragón combines her work as a psychotherapist with adolescents, young people, adults and couples with the completion of her Doctoral Thesis on ‘Eating Behavior and Personality Disorders’ at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM). There he completed the Master in General Health Psychology. She has also been a tutor of master’s degree practices at the Autonomous University of Madrid and the Pontifical University of Comillas.
For his part, the psychologist Juan José Rodrigo has developed his professional activity in the clinical and health field in various contexts; collaborating with different entities such as the Jiménez Díaz Foundation and SAMUR-Civil Protection. He has also worked in the Comprehensive Network of Attention to Drug Addiction of the Government of Castilla-La Mancha, carrying out prevention and intervention work at the family and individual level. He has extensive experience with the adult and child-adolescent population in the treatment of anxiety disorders, emotional management, behavior problems, mood, grief, eating problems, addictive behaviors, family and relationship problems. He has specific training in attachment and trauma.