For years, body mass index has been the standard way to measure body fat and, by extension, assess health risk.
But BMI—a calculation based on height and weight—has been widely criticized as flawed and misleading, and some health professionals have stressed the importance of developing other ways to monitor obesity and health.
Enter the body roundness index, or BRI, a new medical screening tool that considers height and waist circumference—but not weight. A recent study published in JAMA Network Open found that BRI may be a more accurate way to estimate obesity than BMI, sparking attention online about this potential BMI alternative.