Body Mass Index, or BMI, has long been used as a shortcut for assessing health. But in the context of workplace wellness programs, it may be doing more harm than good, especially when it’s used to determine who gets rewarded.
In my discussion with Barbara Zabawa, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, we unpacked the deeper implications of BMI-based wellness incentives. Barbara pointed out that relying on BMI as a benchmark is not just outdated, it can be discriminatory. Studies have shown that BMI disproportionately impacts African American women and Hispanic individuals, yet some programs still tie rewards to this flawed measure.
According to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, about 5–7% of workplace wellness programs still link incentives to achieving a specific BMI. That may sound small, but the impact is anything but. By using racially biased metrics, these programs create unequal access to benefits, penalizing employees not for poor health behaviors, but for not fitting a narrow and problematic standard.
And this isn’t just a fairness issue. It’s a legal one. If your program rewards only those who fall within a specific BMI range, it may be violating anti-discrimination laws or, at the very least, alienating parts of your workforce.
Wellness programs should reflect real health, not outdated numbers. They need to recognize that well-being looks different for everyone and should be measured in ways that are inclusive, science-based, and meaningful.
The takeaway?
If your wellness program still uses BMI to qualify employees for rewards, it’s time to rethink your approach. Inclusive metrics promote equity. With platforms like Wellness360, you can design programs that reward effort, participation, and personal growth, not arbitrary thresholds.
Inclusive wellness is better wellness. And that starts by leaving biased metrics like BMI behind.
