Definition of obesity, obesity occurs when the weight exceeds 120% of the median weight for height.
Other definition of obesity :
1. Obesity is a state in which there is an abnormally great amount of neutral fat in the storage depot of the body. Objective measures used to estimate the degree of obesity are the table of average weights, ideal weight tables, Body Mass Index and measurement of skin fold thickness.
2. Obesity has been defined as an abnormal accumulation of body fat in proportion to body size. Overweight persons, although still technically obese, will have a body-fat proportion that is intermediate between normal and obese.
3. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines obesity in terms of body mass index (BMI). This is a measure derived from dividing body weight in kilograms by the square of height in metres. Individuals with a body mass index between 18.5 and 25 are regarded as being of normal weight. Those between 25 and 30 are regarded as overweight and obesity is defined as a body mass index equal to, or greater than 30.
BMI is well correlated with body fat but is relatively unaffected by height. Obesity is associated with a number of other illnesses particularly heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and some forms of cancer. This is particularly true for people with a predominance of abdominal obesity as opposed to those where the fat distribution is primarily in the buttocks. To take this into account other ways of assessing obesity have been developed. These include measuring the ratio of circumference at the waist to the circumference at the hip or simply measuring the abdominal circumference, with obesity being defined in males as a waist circumference of greater than or equal to 102cm and females of greater than or equal to 88cm.
Apart from a small percentage of cases of obesity which are associated with a specific endocrine disturbance or drug, the majority of cases result from an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. Genetic factors are important. However the onset and development of the condition are within the individual’s personal control by limiting the dietary intake.
