people are continually amazed at how BMI continues to be a thing despite its obvious massive failings. well, let me clear that up. it isn't a thing despite its failings, it's a thing because of them
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Replying to @chaosprime
I think it's a combination of: - winner take all - simplicity It's very simple, and the first successful metric ... it's enough to keep it alive for ever
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Replying to @BonbonFork
tbh i don't think that would be enough in the face of the evidence if it weren't a case of worse being better for the people who decide which metric gets used
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Replying to @chaosprime
Why you don't think it would be enough in this counterfactual scenario? I think the feedback loop is not tight enough in this case: working doctors (who maybe benefit from metric imperfection) don't decide on the metric. People who decide on the metric aren't directly rewarded
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Replying to @BonbonFork
doctors aren't monsters; some would notice that the big metric is nonsense and build consensus for one almost as simple and much better (shoulder to shoulder measurement and adjusted ranges are all it would take) if doing so weren't professional defection
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Replying to @chaosprime
Hmm can you say more what is this simple alternative? BMI is super simple: simple formula + two (three thresholds) In the working def of simplicity, any lookup table is more complex
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Replying to @BonbonFork
i haven't done it to actually know but it seems very much to me as if you could do something with a slightly more complex formula (three whole variables, aw shit) and the same number of thresholds on different points ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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probably the closest thing to a difficult problem would be standardizing the shoulder measurement we flatter ourselves that we know very well how to measure height
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