Health Website > Medical Weight Management > Getting Started > Understanding Obesity > Overweight & Obesity Defined
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Overweight and Obesity Defined
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Obesity is a chronic, metabolic disease caused by many complex inherited and acquired factors, which
include excessive caloric and food intake, insufficient physical activity, and genetic influences.
The result is excess body fat which is created from an imbalance between energy intake and energy
output (eating more than your body's energy needs). Long-term medical treatment and management will
not only achieve weight loss, but substatially decrease the risk of obesity related diseases and
conditions.
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More than 60 percent of Americans aged 20 years and older are overweight. One-quarter of American
adults are also obese, putting them at increased health risk for chronic diseases. To understand the
significance of statistics related to overweight and obesity, it is important to know how overweight
and obesity are defined and measured. This fact sheet discusses these terms and their measures, and
explains why statistics may differ when obtained from diverse sources. It then presents statistics
related to overweight and obesity in the United States.
Overweight and obesity are known risk factors for:
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diabetes |
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heart disease |
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stroke |
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hypertension |
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gallbladder disease |
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osteoarthritis (degeneration of cartilage and bone of joints) |
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sleep apnea and other breathing problems |
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some forms of cancer (uterine, breast, colorectal kidney, and gallbladder) |
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Obesity is associated with:
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high blood cholesterol |
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complications of pregnancy |
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menstrual irregularities |
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hirsutism (presence of excess body and facial hair) |
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stress incontinence (urine leakage caused by weak pelvic-floor muscles) |
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psychological disorders such as depression |
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increased surgical risk |
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How Are Overweight and Obesity Measured?
A number of methods are used to determine if an individual is overweight or obese. Some of
them are based on mathematical calculations of the relation between height and weight--others
are based on measurements of body fat. These methods are described below.
Body Mass Index
Body Mass Index (BMI) can be used to measure both overweight and obesity in adults. It is
the measurement of choice for many obesity researchers and other health professionals. BMI
is a direct calculation based on height and weight, and it is not gender-specific. Most
health organizations and published information on overweight and its associated risk factors
use BMI to measure and define overweight and obesity. BMI does not directly measure percent
of body fat, but it provides a more accurate measure of overweight and obesity than relying
on weight alone.
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