Children BMI

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Diagnosing Obesity

How to diagnose obesity?

     Women have more body fat than men. Men with more than 25% body fat and women with more than 30% body fat are obese.

     We can diagnose obesity by BMI (Body Mass Index), which is used to determine the type of obesity. BMI is an inexpensive and easy-to-perform method of screening for weight categories that may lead to health problems. It is a measurement of a person’s weight relative to his or her height.

                    

                    

     Example:  Weight = 77 kg,               Height = 179 cm (1.79 m)

     Calculation:  77 ÷ (1.79)² = 24

    For most adults, having a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 means you are considered to be a healthy weight.

     A person with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered to be overweight, and someone with a BMI over 30 is considered to be obese.

     While BMI is an accurate assessment of total body fat in most people, there are a few exceptions. Such as very muscular people, they may fall into the “overweight” category when they are actually healthy and very fit because of increased muscularity rather than increased body fatness. 

     BMI also should not be used to work out if a child is a healthy weight, as their bodies are still developing. If you want to find out whether your child is overweight, you should speak to your GP.

     However, a person’s BMI score is not the only tool used by healthcare professionals to assess health risk. They also consider waist circumference, blood pressure, cholesterol level, blood sugar level, family history of disease, physical activity, and cigarette smoking when assessing a patient’s health risk.

Body Fat Distribution:

     Men collect fat in their bellies (apple shape), so they are more likely to develop obesity-related health problems.

     Women collect their fat in their buttocks and hips (pear shape), this kind of obesity is less dangerous than men obesity.

     Apple shape (bellies obesity) is more dangerous than pear shape (buttocks and hips obesity).

     A waist measurement for men shouldn't exceed 40 inches (102 centimetres), and for women 35 inches (89 centimetres).

Remember, even a small weight loss can help to (between 5 and 10 percent of your current weight) lower your risk of developing certain diseases.

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Obesity and Overweight:

Obesity:

     Obesity is a treatable medical problem. It caused chronic health problems, these problems can be controlled if we work hard to control our weight.

     Our bodies need some fat to give us energy to keep our bodies running, keep us warm, and protect our internal tissues.The cause of obesity is an imbalance between the energy ingested in food and the energy expended. The excess energy is stored in fat cells that enlarge or increase in number.

     Enlarged fat cells produce the clinical problems that are associated with obesity, either because of the weight or mass of the extra fat or because of the increased secretion of free fatty acids and numerous peptides from enlarged fat cells.

     Obesity means that someone has more fat on his body than is considered a healthy average for his height and bone structure.

     The same amount of energy IN and OUT over time = weight stays the same.

          More IN than OUT over time = weight gain

          More OUT than IN over time = weight loss

Overweight:

     Overweight refers to an excess weight that may come from fat, muscle and bone.

Causes of Obesity:

     Unhealthy diet and eating habits

     Medical problems

     Psychological problems

     Pregnancy              

     Genes and family history

Complications of Obesity:

     Heart disease

     Diabetes
     Gallbladder disease

     Hypertension

     Osteoarthritis

     Some types of cancer: breast, colon, and kidney

     Respiratory disease

 BMI (Body Mass Index):

     The BMI is the tool that used to estimate overweight and obesity. It's defined as a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of his height in meters (kg/m²). 

     Using a measure such as BMI allows for a person’s weight to be standardised for their height, thus enabling individuals of different heights to be compared. BMI is an attractive measure because it is an easy, cheap and non-invasive means of assessing excess body fat

                   

               

                    

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Healthy Weight

Why Is a Healthy Weight Important?

    Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight is good for your overall health and will help you prevent and control many diseases and conditions. We know that an increase in weight also increases a person’s risk for heart disease, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, gallbladder disease, gynecologic disorders, arthritis, some types of cancer, and even some lung problems (Box1). 
     Maintaining a healthy weight has many benefits, including feeling good about yourself and having more energy to enjoy life.
     A person’s weight is the result of many things height, genes, metabolism, behaviour, and environment.
   Maintaining a healthy weight requires keeping a balance ...a balance of energy.You must balance the calories you get from food and beverages with the calories you use to keep your body going and being physically active.
     The same amount of energy IN and energy OUT over time = weight stays the same     
          More IN than OUT over time = weight gain     
          More OUT than IN over time = weight loss    
     Your energy IN and OUT don’t have to balance exactly every day. It’s the balance over time that will help you to maintain a healthy weight in the long run.     
     For many people, this balance means eating fewer calories and increasing their physical activity. Cutting back on calories is a matter of choice. 
     Making healthy food choices that are lower in fats, especially saturated and trans fat, cholesterol, added sugars, and salt can help you cut back on calories, as can paying attention to portion size .

( Box.1 ) Consider the Risks

If you are overweight or obese you are at risk of developing the following diseases:
■ High blood pressure
■ High blood cholesterol
■ Diabetes
■ Coronary heart disease
■ Stroke
■ Gallbladder disease
■ Arthritis
■ Sleep apnea and breathing problems
■ Some cancers : ● Breast ● Prostate ● Colon

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