Whether it is considered a risk factor for other diseases (World Health Organisation WHO) or a disease itself (World Obesity Federation), obesity is recognised as a serious personal and public health concern. Obesity is defined as body fat accumulation that negatively impacts a person’s health and social and psychological well-being.
The obesity rate is growing in most countries and 28% of adults in the UK are living with obesity. On a global scale, it is predicted that 18% of men and more than 21% of women in the world will obesity by 2025.
Body mass index (BMI)
Body mass index (BMI) is a simple indication of weight-for-height commonly used to classify overweight and obesity in adults. It is calculated as a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in metres (kg/m2).
BMI provides the most useful measure of overweight and obesity for the population and is calculated the same way for both genders and for all ages of adults.
A person with a BMI of 30 or higher is considered to have obesity. As BMI increases, so does the severity of obesity. A person with a BMI higher than 35 and obesity-related conditions or a BMI higher than 40 may be a candidate for weight loss surgery.