What is Obesity?

What is Obesity? Obesity is the excess deposit of fat in the body tissues. It is defined by a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30. Obesity is a complex health problem with many factors playing a causative role including genetic predisposition, individual metabolism, individual behavior, environment, and psychological factors.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Center for Health Statistics, obesity affects more than one third of U.S. adults and almost 17% of children and adolescents. With 78 million U.S. adults and 12.5 million U.S. children and adolescents being obese it is a growing public health issue associated with significant obesity-related conditions.

Individuals who are obese are at increased risk of developing several medical conditions. These include:

• Diabetes mellitus
• Hypertension
• High cholesterol
• Heart disease
• Sleep apnea
• Cancer
• Degenerative joint disease

The health risks of obesity make it a leading cause of preventable death in the United States with a reduction of life expectancy by as much as 12 years. The first step in addressing obesity is acknowledging that it is a problem and managing the things that we are in control of such as our diet, activity level and personal behaviors.