Obesity is the major global health problem that involves an excessive amount of fat in the body. Obesity rates in the United States have doubled since the 1980s and continue to be a major health concern.
Body mass index (BMI) is used to measure obesity based on a person's height and weight. It is calculated by dividing the weight in kilograms by the height in meters squared. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a body mass index (BMI) of more than 25 is considered overweight, and more than 30 is obesity. Of course, body fat itself is not a disease. But when your body has too much fat, it can change the way it works. The majority of overweight or obese children live in developing countries, where the increase is more than 30 percent compared to developed countries.
Obesity is not just a cosmetic concern. It is a medical problem that increases the risk of other diseases and health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and certain cancers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in adults, obesity is defined as a BMI of 30.0 or greater. In 2013, about 36 percent of adults age 20 and older were obese, according to 2011-2012 data from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). It shows that about 78 million American adults are obese, including 18 million children and youth ages 2-19.
Obesity is a growing concern worldwide. The latest figures show that there are more than 1 billion obese adults and more than 400 million children worldwide who are overweight or obese. In the United States, more than one-third of adults and at least one-fifth of children are obese.
There are many reasons why some people have
trouble losing weight. In general, obesity is caused by a combination of
genetic, physical and environmental factors, diet, physical activity and
exercise choices. Obesity is one side of the double burden of undernutrition,
and today more people are obese than underweight in every region except sub-Saharan
Africa and Asia. Obesity is common. As a metric it has some limitations. Rates
of overweight and obesity among adults and children are increasing. From 1975
to 2016, the prevalence of overweight or obese children and adolescents aged
5–19 more than quadrupled globally, from 4% to 18%.
Obesity becomes more serious when it is accompanied by other chronic diseases, such as diabetes or high blood pressure. Obesity also disrupts personal relationships and can lead to low income. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 37 percent of American adults were obese in 2016, which equates to about 972 million adults in the United States. This is 16% higher than in 1980.
The good news is that you can improve your health risks by losing excess body fat. A healthy diet, increased physical activity and behavioral changes can help you lose weight. Once considered a problem only in high-income countries, overweight and obesity are now increasing dramatically in low- and middle-income countries, especially in urban environments. Even small changes in weight can have a big impact on your health.
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