Overweight, definition

Most people believe someone is obese if they look fat. This is not true. Health-care professionals and scientists have developed specific definitions for the words overweight and obese. Overweight and obesity are not determined solely by an individual s weight, but are defined in terms of a person s weight relative to his or her height. Doctors and researchers use a special set of measurements and mathematical formulas to determine whether a person is overweight or obese. 

The statistical links between weight and cardiovascular disease are flat-out scary. One of the most definitive studies began in 1967. Data were collected until 2002. During those years, subjects were classified as normal weight, overweight, or obese. The risk of being hospitalized for heart problems quadrupled in men and women after age sixty-five in the obese group. Obese individuals were also more likely to die from heart attacks and strokes than thinner persons were. 

Obesity is defined as an excess of fat tissue in comparison with normal values for age and sex. In order to compare studies, standard definitions of overweight have been proposed. The most frequently used methods of calculation are ideal body weight and body mass index. The former takes height and sex into account and the individual is said to be obese when the actual weight exceeds 120% of the ideal weight. The latter is calculated with the ratio weight/height, and normal values are 23 kg/m for men and 21 kg/m for women. 

Cole, T.J. et al., Estabhshing a standard definition for child overweight and obesity worldwide ... 

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