Obesity rates are rising and more than 72 million adults in the United States are obese, states the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Obesity can lead to many health challenges and affects quality of life in millions of people. The body mass index, is a calculation that determines how much a person should weigh, based on height. The higher the BMI, the higher the the risk of developing chronic illness.
Obesity
Obesity is defined as having excess body fat. The University of Maryland Medical Center states that being overweight can lead to serious health problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, diabetes and varicose veins. MayoClinic.com lists additional health and quality of life concerns for people who are obese including sleeping problems, snoring, back pain, excessive sweating, rashes in skin folds, difficulty breathing, fatigue and depression.
BMI
The term body mass index refers to a relationship between height and weight. The University of Maryland Medical Center states that BMI calculations are a good way to determine if someone is overweight and it states that if more people maintained a healthy weight, more than 300,000 lives each year would be saved as a result. BMI is a simple calculation, and the result is then compared to a chart that lists the category that the person falls into. There are three steps to calculating BMI. The first step is to multiply body weight in pounds by 703, then divide that answer by height in inches, and finally divide that answer by height in inches a second time. Compare the resulting index to a chart to determine in which category you fall.
Categories
Generally speaking, the lower the BMI, the healthier the body weight. The categories include below 18.5 as underweight; 18.5 to 24.9 is a healthy range; 25.0 to 29.9 is overweight; 30.0 to 39.9 is obese; and over 40 is morbidly obese, according to MedlinePlus.
Considerations
MedlinePlus notes that BMI is not always the best way to determine how much weight should be lost. This is because some groups of people, like bodybuilders have different body compositions that may skew the findings. This is also not considered accurate for elderly people, which need a higher BMI to prevent osteoporosis and is not the ideal method to test for children. MedlinePlus states that doctors may use different methods to determine obesity in children and in special populations.
Significance
A good BMI is one that falls under 24.9. This category places a person in the healthy range and limits health challenges related to obesity. Diet and exercise are key in preventing lifestyle-related illness.
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