Obesity and overweight: Calculating and understanding the causes and associated health consequences
Obesity and overweight are two terms that mean the same thing.
Obesity is a condition characterized by an abnormal or excessive buildup of fat in the body, both of which can be harmful to one’s health.
Doctors frequently use the BMI, a simple weight-for-height index, to determine if an adult is overweight or obese.
Weight-to-height ratio (kg/m2) is the product of a person’s kilogramme weight divided by his or her height in metres squared.
Adults
Overweight and obesity are defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) for adults as follows:
An individual who is overweight has a body mass index (BMI) more than or equal to 25, whereas an individual who is obese has a BMI greater than 30.
Because it applies to both men and women of all ages and genders, BMI is the most reliable indicator of overweight and obesity at the population level. However, it should only be used as a basic reference because the degree of fatness may vary from person to person.
When defining overweight and obesity in children, the age must be taken into account.
Children under 5 years of age
An overweight or obese child is one who is 2 standard deviations or more over their WHO Child Growth Standard median weight, or 3 standard deviations or more over their WHO Child Growth Standard median weight.
Children aged between 5–19 years
Obesity is defined as having a BMI more than two standard deviations above the WHO Growth Reference median in children aged 5–19 years old. Overweight is defined as having a BMI that is more than one standard deviation above the WHO Growth Reference median in children aged 5–19 years old.
What causes obesity and overweight?
A calorie imbalance between calories ingested and calories burned is the root of obesity and excess weight. An increase in energy-dense foods high in fat and sugars has been observed around the world, as has an increase in physical inactivity due to the increasingly sedentary nature of many jobs, shifting modes of transportation and growing urbanisation. Both trends can be traced back to the industrial revolution.
Climate change, urbanisation, transportation, agriculture, food processing, distribution, marketing, and education all have an impact on dietary and physical activity habits.
What are some of the most prevalent health implications of being overweight or obese?
Increased BMI is a significant risk factor for non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, primarily heart disease and stroke, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders and certain cancers (including endometrial, breast, ovarian, prostate, liver, gallbladder, kidney, and colon).
The chance of developing these non-communicable diseases increases as BMI increases.
Childhood obesity is connected with an increased risk of adult obesity, untimely death, and disability. However, obese children face breathing issues, a greater risk of fractures, hypertension, and early signs of cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, and psychosocial consequences in addition to the increased future risks.
Obesity and income or educational level
Obesity has a complex relationship with income and education, and this relationship varies by gender and race/ethnicity.
Obesity was shown to be less common among men and women with college degrees than among those with less education.
Non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic women, as well as non-Hispanic White men, all had similar obesity and educational patterns. However, not all of the variations were substantial. Obesity prevalence increased along with educational attainment, even among non-Hispanic Black men when the difference was not statistically significant. There were no variations in obesity prevalence between non-Hispanic Asian men and women and Hispanic men based on educational attainment.
For men, lower and higher income categories had lower obesity prevalence than the middle-income group. This tendency was found in both non-Hispanic White males and Hispanic men, according to the study. Non-Hispanic Black men in the highest income bracket were more likely to be obese than those in the lowest income bracket.
For women, the odds of being obese were lower for those in the highest income brackets than those in the middle or lower income brackets. Non-Hispanic White women, non-Hispanic Asian women, and Hispanic women all showed this tendency. Obesity prevalence did not differ by income among non-Hispanic Black women.
References
Obesity and Overweight. (2021, June 9). Obesity and overweight. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight.
Obesity Is a Common, Serious, And Costly Disease. (2021, June 7). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html.