Understanding Obesity

Female 1: In America, over 30% of adults and 15% of children are considered obese. So, what exactly is obesity?

Female 2: Obesity is a chronic condition in which people gain excessive body weight in the form of fatty tissue. This increase body fat percentage put sufferers at risk for more than 30 serious medical conditions ranging from Type II diabetes to Congestive Heart Failure. So why are so many of us obese? Often too much food and too little movement are to blame for obesity. In fact, decrease mobility is the biggest cause of obesity amongst the rapidly growing elderly population. Genetics plays its own role in obesity epidemic. People with the family history of excessive weight gain are more likely to become overweight themselves. Scientists are not sure why, but obesity is more common among the African-American and Hispanic populations than it is among Caucasians. Asian-Americans are the least likely population to become obese.

The simplest way to determine if you are obese is to calculate your body mass index or BMI. To check your BMI, you will need to know your height in inches and your weight in pounds. Multiply your weight in pounds by 703 then take your height in inches in square it. Divide the first figure by the second. The resulting number is your BMI. What is that number mean? Usually the higher your BMI, the higher your percentage of body fat. If your BMI is less than 18.5, you are considered underweight. A BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered normal while one between 25 and 29.9 equates to being overweight. If you have a BMI of 30 or higher, you are considered to be obese.

While knowing your BMI is a good start to diagnosing obesity, the number is not definitive. Elderly people or others with diminished muscle mass maybe at higher risk than their BMI’s indicate. Excessive muscle mass, on the other hand can result to a reading whereby a patient who does not have excess fat appears obese by the numbers.

Additionally, someone with a BMI of less than 30 can still be considered obese if he suffers from weight related health problem such as coronary heart disease, type II diabetes or sleep apnea. Examining a patient’s weight circumference is another way for the doctor to determine if that patient is obese. Generally, the more weight carried above the hips, the more likely it is that this excess weight could lead to health problems. A diagnosis of obesity will be made based on a doctor’s assessment of your physical health as well as medical formula’s such as BMI. If you think you maybe overweight or have concerns about your health, please see your doctor.

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