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For
Adults (CDC)
For Children and Teens (CDC)
Know
Your Numbers
(Espaņol)
Are you shaped
like an apple or a pear?
Women
and Heart Disease
Healthy
Heart Program
High Blood Pressure
(AHA)
Heart
Disease
Nutrition
Stroke
(CDC)
Diabetes
(CDC)
Westchester
County Parks Department
Fit Kids
Frequently
Asked Questions (CDC)
Obesity
Prevention in Children (FitKids) |
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What
are obesity
and overweight?
Overweight refers to an excess of body weight compared to set standards.
The excess weight may come from muscle, bone, fat, and/or body water.
Obesity refers specifically to having an abnormally high proportion of
body fat. A person can be overweight without being obese, as
in the example of a bodybuilder or other athlete who has a lot of muscle.
However, many people who are overweight are also obese.*
How are
overweight and obesity measured?
A number
of methods are used to determine if someone is overweight or obese. Some
are based on the relation between height and weight; others are based on
measurements of body fat. The most commonly used method today is body mass
index (BMI).
BMI
can be used to screen for both overweight and obesity in adults. It is the
measurement of choice for many obesity researchers and other health
professionals, as well as the definition used in most published
information on overweight and obesity. BMI is a calculation based on
height and weight, and it is not gender-specific. BMI does not directly
measure percent of body fat, but it is a more accurate indicator of
overweight and obesity than relying on weight alone.*
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Individuals
with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 are considered overweight, while
individuals with a BMI of
30 or more are considered obese. |
What are the
health consequences?
Overweight and obese individuals (BMI of 25 and above) are at
increased risk for physical ailments such as :
- High blood
pressure, hypertension
- High blood
cholesterol, dyslipidemia
- Type 2
(non-insulin dependent) diabetes
- Insulin
resistance, glucose intolerance
- Hyperinsulinemia
- Coronary heart
disease
- Angina
pectoris
- Congestive
heart failure
- Stroke
- Gallstones
- Cholescystitis
and cholelithiasis
- Gout
- Osteoarthritis
(degeneration of cartilage and bone of joints)
- Obstructive
sleep apnea and respiratory problems
- Some types of
cancer (such as endometrial, breast, prostate, and colon)
- Complications
of pregnancy
- Poor female
reproductive health (such as menstrual irregularities, infertility,
irregular ovulation)
- Bladder
control problems (such as stress incontinence)
- Uric acid
nephrolithiasis
- Psychological
disorders (such as depression, eating disorders, distorted body image,
and low self esteem).**
*National
Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National
Institutes of Health.
**Centers for Disease Control |
