How is obesity defined?
A person is considered morbidly obese if they are one hundred pounds overweight. The term Body Mass Index (BMI) was developed to calculate a healthy weight for each person’s height. A healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9kg/m2. A person with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 is overweight, and greater than 30 is obese. Body mass index is a tool for indicating weight status. It is a measure of weight and height and correlates with body fat. A 45 year old woman who is five feet three inches tall has an ideal (healthy) body weight up to 140 lbs (BMI = 25). At a weight of 230 lbs this woman is considered morbidly obese. The relation between fatness and body weight differs with age and gender. Women and older people generally have higher body fat. • Why is Obesity Dangerous? Obesity is known to be associated with several other medical illnesses. High blood pressure, adult onset diabetes, high cholesterol, osteoarthritis, polycystic ovaries and abnormal menses, depression and heartburn (acid reflux disease
