AirTalk

When you go to the hospital, it’s standard procedure for the doctor to calculate your BMI - your weight in kilograms divided by your height in meters squared.

Body Mass Index is widely used as a health metric, both by medical professionals and insurance companies to calculate risk or a patient’s eligibility for certain procedures, but it’s long been a controversial standard. While some researchers say that BMI might be useful to assess the overall health of a population, it’s much less useful as an individual indicator of health and is a bad predictor of metabolic health. It can be problematic if a doctor is using BMI, an inaccurate measure of body fat, as a proxy for whether a patient is healthy or not. 

There is also debate about its usefulness for different races and ethnicities, especially since the standard is based on a white European male. In fact, the WHO released a different BMI interpretation guide for people of Asian descent. 

What is the history of BMI and its pros and cons? Are there ways that BMI can be used differently? Or should it be nixed altogether?

Guests: 

Jamy Ard, M.D., clinical researcher and professor of epidemiology and prevention at Wake Forest School of Medicine; co-director of the Wake Forest Baptist Health Weight Management Center; he tweets @drard

Sabrina Strings, associate professor of Sociology at the University of California, Irvine, where her research interests include the sociology of medicine; author of “Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia” (NYU Press, 2019); she tweets @SaStrings

In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Dean Blumberg from UC Davis. 

Today’s topics include: 

Two-thirds of CA adults have been at least partially vaccinated

The urban-rural vaccine divide could be growing

Public health experts urging teens to get vaccinated, but some don’t think they need it  

More issues with CA MyTurn app as state failed to recruit enough volunteers

What is the COVAX program? 

Some countries shift focus to booster vaccines. Is it too soon? 

A new coronavirus detected in Malaysia is coming from dogs

Guest: 

Dean Blumberg, M.D., professor of medicine and chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital

Yesterday, California’s Board of Education commission began reviewing public comments in response to a controversial new proposal to overhaul the state’s math framework.

If implemented, the proposed framework would recommend that districts keep students in the same math classes through their sophomore year, instead of allowing some students to take advanced math courses in middle school. Proponents of the plan say it would make mathematics education more equitable and discourage the notion that some students are innately talented, and instead reward students for growth.  But opponents swiftly responded to the proposal, saying that the proposal would have the converse effect on students in the classroom. The proposal comes just after the University of California said it would no longer consider SAT and ACT scores in admissions— the result of a lawsuit from low income students of colors and students with disabilities.

Today on AirTalk, we are learning more about the California Department of Education’s proposal. What are your thought? Leave them below or give us a call at 866-893-5722.

Guests:

Howard Blume, reporter covering education for The Los Angeles Times; he tweets @howardblume

Jo Boaler, professor of mathematics education at Stanford University and co-writer of the framework, she tweets @joboaler

Svetlana Jitomirskaya, distinguished professor of mathematics at UC Irvine

Today on AirTalk, we break down the latest COVID-19 news. Also on the show, we discuss the controversy surrounding the invention of Flamin' Hot Cheetos; check in on the reopening of theme parks; and more.

A star-studded affair between two of SoCal's most star-studded basketball teams, the Los Angeles Lakers face off against the Golden State Warriors for a spot in the NBA Playoffs, with the winner of tonight’s matchup officially becoming the 7th seed in the western conference.

This year, the NBA has implemented a new system for how the two lowest seeds for the playoffs will be chosen, with each conferences’ 7-10th seeds duking it out for the final two positions. As it stands, the Lakers hold the 7th best record in the West and the Warriors hold the 8th, with the loser of today’s game still having the opportunity to clinch the 8th seed against the winner of the 9/10 matchup. 

In the MLB, two other teams in California are making headlines, with the Dodgers continuing its pursuit to become repeat champions while dealing similar injury issues that their purple and gold brethren have dealt with at Staples Center. Meanwhile, the Angels are finding themselves struggling to reach a .500 winning record, this while recently losing their star Mike Trout.

Today on AirTalk, we preview tonight’s 7 p.m. PT postseason matchup between the Lakers and Warriors, while also looking at the state of the Dodgers and Angels.

Guests:

Nick Roman, host of KPCC’s “All Things Considered”; he tweets @RomanOnTheRadio

A. Martinez, host of KPCC’s “Take Two”; he tweets @amartinezLA

According to a poll by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies, the majority of Californians think entertainment venues should be able to require proof that patrons are either COVID negative or fully vaccinated. The poll also found that most Californians support some workplaces placing similar requirements on their employees. 

The poll results also found a partisan split in the idea of vaccination requirements. For example, 82 percent of Democrats approved proof of immunity or a negative COVID test at entertainment venues, while 66 percent of Republicans disapproved. We dive into the results of the poll and discuss the bioethics of so-called “vaccine passports,” both in the U.S. and internationally.

Guests: 

Michele Goodwin, chancellor’s professor of law and director of the Center for Biotechnology and Global Health Policy at the University of California, Irvine and author of multiple books, her latest is “Policing The Womb: Invisible Women and the Criminalization of Motherhood” (Cambridge, February 2020)  she tweets @michelebgoodwin​

Arthur Caplan, professor of Medical Ethics at New York University School of Medicine where he is also director of the division of medical ethics; he tweets @ArthurCaplan

After the Los Angeles Times released an investigation disputing Richard Montañez’s longtime claim as the creator of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, the piece ignited a controversy around culinary ownership, race and how the histories of people of color should be told.

Richard Montañez’s famous story begins when he was a janitor at Frito-Lay’s Rancho Cucamonga plant, where he conceived of an idea for a chile-coated Cheeto. He called the chief executive at the time and pitched the idea, resulting in the extremely popular Flamin’ Hot Cheetos line and vaulting him into such stratospheres of success that a feature film of his life is currently in development.

But reporter Sam Dean’s LA Times article, which is based off of the claims made by several Frito-Lay executives, claims that Montañez did not actually invent Flamin’ Hots. Many readers, however, were not convinced by the story. Some felt that the LA Times’ reporting tactics were too sensational and not nuanced enough, particularly in regards to Montañez’s significance  as a prominent Latino success story in a white corporate industry.

Today on AirTalk, we speak to Gustavo Arellano about his new piece in response to the criticism of the LA Times. But we want to hear from you— how do you think the story should be told? Give us a call at 866-893-5722.

Guest:

Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times columnist covering Southern California; his recent column is “What the anger over Flamin’ Hot Cheetos origin story is really about”; he tweets @GustavoArellano

Among the more challenging aspects of reopening society as it gets a better handle on the coronavirus pandemic have been dealing with events and attractions that feature large crowds of people packed in close quarters, like theme parks.

A number of our local attractions, including Disneyland, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Universal Studios Hollywood, LEGOLAND California Resort and others reopened last month, and others like Raging Waters in Los Angeles are set to finally reopen their gates to visitors in the coming days.

Today on AirTalk, we’ll hear from representatives with local theme parks and attractions about how the reopening process has been going and we’ll take calls from listeners who have visited a theme park or work at one to hear about their experience. Join the conversation by calling us at 866-893-5722.

Guests:

Mike Roe, reporter covering arts, entertainment and theme park attractions for LAist; he tweets @MikeRoe

Al Garcia, director of marketing and sales for Raging Waters Los Angeles in San Dimas

In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, we speak with UCSF’s Dr. Peter Chin-Hong. 

Today’s topics include: 

Some counties are frustrated, confused with CA’s delay on lifting masking rules

CA weighs dropping mask, distancing rules for fully vaccinated workers

Orange County moves into the yellow tier 

“Very disturbing” racial disparities remain in vaccination trends

Why many Latino men haven’t been vaccinated yet

EU moves to allow in fully vaccinated visitors 

India sets global record for daily COVID-19 deaths 

Trained dogs may be able to sniff out the coronavirus in humans

Can vaccine passports help enforce the CDC’s mask guidance?

Guest:

Peter Chin-Hong, M.D., infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the UCSF Medical Center; he tweets @PCH_SF

Today on AirTalk, we analyze what's in Governor Gavin Newsom's $100 billion California Comeback Plan. Also on the show, we get the latest COVID-19 news; check in on the retail industry's recovery; and more.