What is the most common method for assessing obesity?

Body Mass Index (BMI) is the most common method for assessing obesity due to its ease of use and widespread acceptance in both clinical and public health settings. BMI is calculated using a person's height and weight, providing a simple numerical value that can categorize individuals as underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese. This simplicity makes it accessible for large population studies and helps healthcare professionals quickly assess a person's weight relative to their height without the need for specialized equipment.

While other methods such as body fat percentage measurement, hydrostatic weighing, and waist circumference measurement can provide more detailed insights into body composition and fat distribution, they tend to be less practical for routine assessments. Body fat percentage measurements often require specialized tools or techniques, hydrostatic weighing is more complex and not commonly available, and waist circumference can vary based on different factors like ethnicity and age but is not as universally standardized as BMI. Therefore, the practicality and efficiency of BMI solidify its status as the most commonly used technique for assessing obesity.