Obesity

Obesity is caused by the build up of excess body fat to the point where it may harm the health of the individual concerned.

What is the Definition of Obesity?

Overweight and obesity are both labels for ranges of weight that are greater than what is generally considered healthy for a given height. Obesity is defined as a condition where the BMI (body mass index) has increased to 30 or greater.

Rather confusingly, you may read varying definitions for the term overweight. Overweight has been defined by a BMI of 25 to 29.9. This category for overweight has also been referred to as pre-obese. A more broad usage of the term overweight simply refers to a BMI of 25 or greater.

BMI is calculated from a person’s weight and height and provides a reasonable indicator of body fatness and weight categories that may lead to health problems.

For those overweight, the excess weight may come from muscle, bone, fat, and/or body water. For example, many athletes have a BMI value equivalent to being overweight due to the greater proportion of lean muscle tissue, not excess body fat.

Obesity Statistics

The obesity epidemic is causing great alarm in the Developed World, but obesity statistics are also rising rapidly in the Developing World, where many countries suffer from both extremes of malnutrition and starvation, as well as rising obesity rates.

Obesity in the US

Obesity rates in the US have risen alarmingly over the last 25 to 30 years, but in adults over 20 years of age the rates have levelled off currently.

In 2005 – 2006, more than one-third of U.S. adults - over 72 million people - were found to be obese. The overall rate of 34.3% includes 33.3 percent of men and 35.3 percent of women.

The figures show little change from 2003-2004, when 31.1 percent of men were obese and 33.2 percent of women were obese from an overall rate of 32.2%.

However, the level of obesity does not present a complete picture of the trends in weight (measured by BMI) among U.S. adults. A comparison of the distribution of BMI in 1976–1980 with the distribution in 2005–2006 for adults 20–74 years of age, showed that the entire adult population is heavier, and the heaviest have become much heavier since 1980.

Obesity in the UK

Obesity in the UK has also risen rapidly in recent years. Health Survey for England (HSE) data revealed that in 2006, 24% of adults in England were classified as obese and 38% were recorded as overweight. The breakdown from those statistics shows that 67% of men and 56% of women were either overweight or obese in 2006.

The trends are rising in England. Between 1993 and 2006 there was a marked increase in the proportion who were obese, which increased from 13.2 per cent of men in 1993 to 23.7 per cent in 2006 and from 16.4 per cent of women to 24.2 per cent over the same period.

Obesity in Children

This site is not intended for children.

Due to growth in children some experts do not advocate any form of slimming program for children, simply preferring to allow the child’s body composition to naturally adjust as the child grows. Others believe this to be a myth; arguing that when a child develops a weight problem, that weight problem will persist and possibly worsen in adulthood.