Obesity

• Worldwide obesity has nearly doubled since 1980.
• In 2008, more than 1.4 billion adults, 20 and older, were overweight. Of these over 200 million men and nearly 300 million women were obese.
• 35% of adults aged 20 and over were overweight in 2008, and 11% were obese.
• 65% of the world’s population live in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight.
• Overweight and obesity are the fifth leading risk for global deaths. At least 2.8 million adults die each year as a result of being overweight or obese.
• 44% of the diabetes burden, 23% of the ischaemic heart disease burden and between 7% and 41% of certain cancer burdens are attributable to overweight and obesity.
• More than 40 million children under the age of five were overweight in 2011.
• Obesity is preventable.

WHAT ARE OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY?

Overweight and obesity:

• are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health;
• have important consequences for morbidity, disability and quality of life;
• entail higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, several common forms of cancer,
• osteoarthritis and other health problems; and
• are serious public health challenges in the WHO European Region.

Overweight and obesity are often measured using the BMI (Body Mass Index) scale. BMI:

• is a simple index commonly used to classify overweight and obesity in schoolchildren and adults;
• is calculated as a person’s weight (in kg) divided by his or her height (in m2); and
• does not distinguish weight associated with muscle from weight associated with fat and therefore provides only a crude measure of fatness.

BMI provides the most useful population-level measure of overweight and obesity as it is the same for both sexes and for all ages of adults. However, it should be considered a rough guide because it may not correspond to the same degree of fatness in different individuals.

The WHO definitions of overweight and obesity are:

• a BMI greater than or equal to 25 is overweight
• a BMI greater than or equal to 30 is obesity

WHO BMI CUT OFF POINTS:

ROLE OF PREVENTION IN OBESITY

Obesity is a major health problem in today’s world. Overweight and obesity are major causes of type II diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, various cancers and other health problems, which can lead to further morbidity and mortality. The related health care costs are also substantial. Therefore, it is always better to take preventive measures to subside this major issue.

there are genetic, behavioral and hormonal influences on body weight, obesity occurs when you take in more calories than you burn through exercise and normal daily activities. Your body stores these excess calories as fat.

Principal causes of obesity are:

By regular clinical check-up’s & Lifestyle management services, it is easier for an individual to get rid of this serious issue, also one can easily prevent complications of it.