I need to get the full background on the "body mass index", a commonly
cited measure of overweight/obesity -- how/when was this developed,
the scientific basis behind it, when it came into general use (in USA
and some reference to international), and any references to literature
on pros/cons of applying this measure to identify the
overweight/obese. Thanks!

"In 1869 Quetelet a Belgian astronomer observed that in adults of
normal build weight was proportional to the square of the height. Some
hundred years later Keys et al (1972) made a similar observation and
named the relationship Body Mass Index or BMI.

BMI or Quetelet index is defined as: BMI = Weight (kg)/Height2 (m)

BMI is widely used to define obesity (WHO, 1998). BMI can be used as
part of a global clinical and nutritional assessment in adults.
However, it is important to remember that BMI does not distinguish
between lean body mass and body fat. Indiscriminate use of BMI can
lead to misinterpretation and misdiagnosis of obesity ie individuals
with well developed musculature such as body builders, heavily muscled
boxers may have a BMI above 30 but they are not obese. In addition, in
certain clinical conditions such as liver disease, BMI may be normal
or high but this may reflect ascites or oedema and indeed the patient
may actually be clinically malnourished despite a normal BMI."
--http://www.cysticfibrosismedicine.com/htmldocs/CFText/bmi.html

Other references: 

Garrow JS and Webster J. Quetelet's index (W/H2) as a measure of
fatness. International Journal of Obesity 1985; 9:147?153.

Keys A, Fidanza F, Karvonen MJ, Kimura N, Taylor HL. Indices of
relative weight and obesity. Journal of Chronic Diseases 1972; 25:329
- 43.


Hope this helps!

Thank you very much!! This is very helpful.