Obesity is a condition of accumulated or excess body fat that has adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and increased risk of health problems. Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of greater than 30. The BMI is a measure of your weight relative to your height. It may be further evaluated in terms of fat distribution by means of the waist-hip ratio and total cardiovascular risk factors. Obesity increases the likelihood of various diseases, particularly:
1. Heart disease,
2. Type 2 diabetes,
3. Breathing difficulties during sleep,
4. Certain types of cancer,
5. Osteoarthritis,
6. Stroke,
7. Pregnancy complication,
8. And liver disease.
Obesity or overweight is a leading preventable cause of death worldwide, with increasing prevalence in adults and children, and authorities view it as one of the most serious public health problems of the 21st century. Obesity is most commonly caused by a combination of:
1. Excessive calories,
2. Poor physical activities,
3. Genes,
4. Endocrine disorders,
5. Medications,
6. And slow body metabolism.
The primary treatment for obesity is dieting and physical exercise. To supplement this, or in case of failure, anti-obesity drugs may be administered by a physician to reduce appetite or inhibit fat absorption. In severe cases, surgery may be performed.
CLASSIFICATION OF OBESITY
Obesity is characterized by excess body fat, that may have an adverse effect on health. It is defined by body mass index (BMI) and BMI is closely related to both percentage body fat and total body fat. A healthy weight varies with age and sex in children. In children and adolescents overweight is defined not as an absolute number but in relation to a historical normal group, such that obesity or overweight is a BMI greater than the 95th percentile.
BMI Classification
< 18.500 ----------------------------- underweight
18.5-24.9 ----------------------------- normal weight
25.0-29.9 ----------------------------- overweight
30.0-34.9 ----------------------------- class I obesity
35.0-39.9 ----------------------------- class II obesity
> 40.000 ----------------------------- class III obesity
BMI is equal to the mass of the subject divided by the square of his or her height. This is typically expressed either in metric or US "customary" units:
Metric: BMI = kilograms / meters2
US customary and imperial: BMI = lb * 703 / in2
where "lb" is the weight of the subject in pounds and "in" is the height of the subject in inches.
The provided values listed in the right side of the table above, are the most commonly used definitions, established by the World Health Organization.
As a result of negative health consequences of certain populations at low BMI, some nations have redefined obesity; the Japanese have defined obesity as any BMI greater than 25 while China make use of a BMI greater than 28.
Christian Izeh, is a teacher in health prevention tips for more information visit: http://healthprevention.wordpress.com
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