Comments on: New Research on Death Rates of Overweight People http://savageminds.org/2007/11/08/new-research-on-death-rates-of-overweight-people/ Notes and Queries in Anthropology — A Group Blog Fri, 25 May 2012 16:21:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: A.L. http://savageminds.org/2007/11/08/new-research-on-death-rates-of-overweight-people/comment-page-1/#comment-267634 A.L. Wed, 02 Apr 2008 06:20:47 +0000 http://savageminds.org/2007/11/08/new-research-on-death-rates-of-overweight-people/#comment-267634 The "thin hypothesis" has excellent points and tons of commonsense. Battling obesity through force isn't putting a dent in it statistically, nor for me personally. After 25 years of diets and then a year at the gym with a personal trainer, struggling to change my weight and shape with very modest success and finding I was more tired than ever, I stopped and had a good look at myself and thought, but am I unhealthy? And though I am at a very high 50 BMI, I am not unhealthy. I feel good each day (a year after I stopped 3-days-a-week at the gym) aside from shame associated with the moral judgments I have taken on about my body. Now those I AM trying to shed. ;) The “thin hypothesis” has excellent points and tons of commonsense. Battling obesity through force isn’t putting a dent in it statistically, nor for me personally. After 25 years of diets and then a year at the gym with a personal trainer, struggling to change my weight and shape with very modest success and finding I was more tired than ever, I stopped and had a good look at myself and thought, but am I unhealthy? And though I am at a very high 50 BMI, I am not unhealthy. I feel good each day (a year after I stopped 3-days-a-week at the gym) aside from shame associated with the moral judgments I have taken on about my body. Now those I AM trying to shed. ;)

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]]> By: KC http://savageminds.org/2007/11/08/new-research-on-death-rates-of-overweight-people/comment-page-1/#comment-140620 KC Thu, 08 Nov 2007 22:14:05 +0000 http://savageminds.org/2007/11/08/new-research-on-death-rates-of-overweight-people/#comment-140620 This post, the previous post referenced (thin hypothesis), and the referenced study oversimplify an incredibly complex issue--complex on both population and individual levels of analysis. The statistic used in the study cited is a correlation. A correlation is a measure of association and can be a good starting place if all variables affecting the relationship are considered. Is mortality the only measure of health? Is it the best measure of health? Is age at death considered as a variable along with weight? Is disease load/health troubles comparable between groups? Is body fat (not BMI) addressed as a variable? The few questions I posed indicate how many variables were not considered when looking at these data. The question of whether or not fat is healthy is not scientifically valid so I do not support either claim. But, drawing conclusions from bad science like this evidences a lack of critical thinking which obfuscates the true complexity of weight and health interactions. This post, the previous post referenced (thin hypothesis), and the referenced study oversimplify an incredibly complex issue–complex on both population and individual levels of analysis.
The statistic used in the study cited is a correlation. A correlation is a measure of association and can be a good starting place if all variables affecting the relationship are considered.

Is mortality the only measure of health?

Is it the best measure of health? Is age at death considered as a variable along with weight?

Is disease load/health troubles comparable between groups?

Is body fat (not BMI) addressed as a variable?

The few questions I posed indicate how many variables were not considered when looking at these data. The question of whether or not fat is healthy is not scientifically valid so I do not support either claim. But, drawing conclusions from bad science like this evidences a lack of critical thinking which obfuscates the true complexity of weight and health interactions.

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