Abstract: . . .  two slides show this relationship. Among women there is a trend curve estimated to show the relationship between BMI and specialist consultations. The percentage of reported specialist consultations showed a J-curve relationship with BMI. The lowest utilization of specialists occurred with a BMI of 24 to 25. Page 16 BACKGROUND V 8 BMI P e r c e n t a g e 20 25 30 35 40 15 10 20 25 30 More Than Five GP Consultations Brown WJ et al. Int J Obes 1998;22:520-528. Relationship between BMI and crude percentage of women reporting medical problems, surgical procedures, symptoms, and health care utilization. Brown and colleagues reviewed utilization of general practitioners by women and found a J-curve trend with increasing BMI. Low BMI was associated with fewer physical health problems than mid-level or higher BMI. Indicators of health care use showed a J-shaped relationship with BMI for general practitioners. Prevalence of medical problems (for example, hypertension and diabetes), surgical procedures (cholescystectomy, hysterectomy) and symptoms (for example, back pain) increased monotonically with BMI. This study provides strong support for the recommended BMI range of 20-25 was an appropriate target for the promotion of healthy weight in middle-aged Australian women.  . . .
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