Overview of Obesity

Overview of Obesity

Facts about obesity:

The US Surgeon General has declared that overweight and obesity have reached epidemic proportions in this country. One in three US adults are overweight or obese and 15 percent of children between the ages of six and 19 are overweight. Public health officials say physical inactivity and poor diet are catching up to tobacco as a significant threat to health. Currently, about 35 percent of women and 31 percent of men are considered seriously overweight. Obesity is a serious, chronic disease that can inflict substantial harm to a person’s health.

Overweight and obesity are not the same; rather, they are different points on a continuum of weight ranging from being underweight to being morbidly obese. The percentage of people who fit into these two categories, overweight and obese, is determined by Body Mass Index (BMI).

BMI is a measure of weight proportionate to height. BMI is considered a useful measurement of the amount of body fat. Occasionally, some very muscular people may have a BMI in the overweight range. However, these people are not considered overweight because muscle tissue weighs more than fat tissue. Generally, BMI can be considered an effective way to evaluate whether a person is overweight or obese.

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), a BMI from 18.5 to 24.9 is considered normal while a BMI of more than 25 is considered overweight. A person is considered obese if the BMI is greater than 30 and morbidly obese if the BMI is 40 or greater. In general, after the age of 50, a man’s weight stabilizes and even drops slightly between the ages of 60 and 74. However, a woman’s weight continues to increase until age 60 and then begins to drop.

Another measure of obesity is the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). The WHR is a measurement tool that looks at the proportion of fat stored on the waist, and hips and buttocks. The waist circumference indicates abdominal fat. A waist circumference over 40 inches in men and over 35 inches in women may increase the risk for heart disease and other diseases associated with being overweight.

Consult your physician with questions regarding healthy body weight.

What causes obesity?

In many ways, obesity is a puzzling disease. How the body regulates weight and body fat is not well understood. On one hand, the cause appears to be simple in that if a person consumes more calories than he or she expends as energy, then he or she will gain weight.

However, the risk factors that determine obesity can be a complex combination of genetics, socioeconomic factors, metabolic factors, and lifestyle choices, as well as other factors. Some endocrine disorders, diseases, and medications may also exert a powerful influence on an individual’s weight.

Factors which may influence the occurrence of obesity include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • genetics - Studies have shown that a predisposition toward obesity can be inherited. The chance of being overweight increases by 25 percent if one or both parents are obese. Where a person carries weight - the hips or around the middle - is also strongly influenced by heredity.
  • metabolic factors - How a particular person expends energy is different from how someone else’s body uses energy. Both metabolic and hormonal factors are not the same for everyone, but these factors play a role in determining weight gain. Recent studies show that levels of ghrelin, a peptide hormone known to regulate appetite, and other peptides in the stomach, play a role in triggering hunger and producing a feeling of fullness (satiety).
  • socioeconomic factors - There is a strong relationship between economic status and obesity, especially among women. Women who are poor and of lower social status are six times more likely to be obese than women of higher socioeconomic status. The occurrence of obesity is also highest among minority groups, especially among women. Sixty percent of African-American women 45 year old or older are overweight.
  • lifestyle choices - Overeating, along with a sedentary lifestyle, contributes to obesity. These are lifestyle choices that can be affected by behavior change.

    Eating a diet in which a high percentage of calories come from sugary, high-fat, refined foods promotes weight gain. And, as more US families eat on the go, high-calorie foods and beverages are often selected.

    Lack of regular exercise contributes to obesity in adults and makes it difficult to maintain weight loss. In children, inactivity, such as watching television or sitting at a computer, contributes to obesity.

Health effects of obesity:

Obesity has a far-ranging negative effect on health. Each year obesity-related conditions cost over 100 billion dollars and cause an estimated 300,000 premature deaths in the US. The health effects associated with obesity include, but are not limited to, the following:

Click here to view the
Online Resources of Women's Health


Top of Page return to top of page