Here is something that I am embarrassed I didn’t catch before – the strong correlation between height and obesity in the NHANES data.
Even with a linear relationship the correlation is strong
With a second order polynomial it becomes striking
What makes this particularly interesting is not only how tight the correlation is but that the two are currently negatively correlated in the cross sectional data but I suspect in the past they were positively correlated.
So one very naive interpretation is that you have a single driving force but that it manifests in some as height and in others as increased body mass. I hope to have more to say on this later this week, schedule permitting.
Modeled Behavior 
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Thursday ~ September 17th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Apex
BMI is a crude tool given the different make-ups and bone structures people have. However even among the same bone structure I have to wonder if BMI = weight / height squared, shouldn’t instead be divided by height cubed. People are three dimensional objects after all. Presumably as height increases both width and depth should as well. It might make for minimal differences over a small range such as that encompassing the typical human heights but it does seem to be missing a dimension in the calculation.
Monday ~ December 28th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Robert
I second Apex: BMI is a very crude tool. Human skeletons and bone structures vary significantly. Leg to body ratios typically range from 1.0 to 1.4, with a higher average in women. I have a .87 LBR which means, unlike most people, my upper body is longer than my legs. So, on top of having a “large frame” (my elbow breadth is measured at 3.1″), I am heavily muscled. With very visible abdomen muscles and at 5’10.6″ I weight 174 pounds. My BMI would thus be 24.5, which is nearly “overweight” despite that I have an archetypal athletic physique and am in excellent cardiovascular health.
Monday ~ April 2nd, 2012 at 3:39 am
Apex bmi | Seidoch
[…] Height and Obesity: Twin Epidemics? « Modeled BehaviorSep 15, 2009 … I second Apex: BMI is a very crude tool. Human skeletons and bone structures vary significantly. Leg to body ratios typically range from 1.0 to … […]