In <9vbhs3$9im$[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ronald Bloom wrote:
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> > Today's story from the Associated Press, "Study: American kids getting
fatter
> > at disturbing rate".
>
> > "By 1998, nearly 22 percent of black children ages 4 to 12 were
overweight,
>
> [....]
>
> > overweight. ...Overweight was defined as having a body-mass index higher
> > than 95 percent of youngsters of the same age and sex, based on growth
charts
>
>
> On its face, it seems to say "22% of black children ages 4 to 12
> had body-mass-index greater than 95% of [their peers]."
>
> This is mind-bendingly difficult to comprehend as stated; but I think
> what they must have *meant* was "22% of black children ages 4 to 12 had
> body-mass-index in the greatest 5-th percentile of a *particular*, prior,
> distribution of body-mass-indices which was once considered representative
> of an acceptable state of affairs for the cohort of children 4-12".
>
> Is this what they meant?
>
It has to be. What the author, Lindsey Tanner, should have written is that
the BMI that was the 95th percentile in 19XX, was the 78th percentile in
1998.
--
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Lee Altenberg, Ph.D.
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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