| About
Obesity |
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Health
Hazards of Morbid Obesity
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| What
is obesity? |
| Years
of life lost |
| Many people are concerned about their weight. Heavier people often are very aware of their weight and how they are seen by others. We hear in the news that more and more people are becoming overweight and obese-but what does this mean? |
| Obesity means having too much body fat (adipose tissue). Obesity generally is determined by calculating body mass index (BMI), which measures weight for height and is stated in numbers. BMI is calculated by the weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. |
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| In American standard measurements BMI is calculated as |
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| BMI |
Status |
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| |
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| Below 18.5 |
Underweight |
| 18.5 – 24.9 |
Normal |
| 25 – 29.9 |
Overweight |
| 30 – 34.9 |
Obese |
| 35 – 39.9 |
Severe Obesity |
| > 40 |
Morbid Obesity |
| > 50 |
Super morbid Obesity |
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| BMI is not
about how you look but rather an indication of the effect your
weight has on your health. A BMI of 30 or higher is considered
obese in adults—you are at a higher risk for certain
health problems than those with a lower BMI. As BMI
increases, your risk of health problems increases. |
