Body Mass Index (BMI) and Obesity

Obesity has been associated with at least 15 well-known health problems and been documented in medical literature for at least 2000 years. The Framingham Study concluded that those who were obese at age 40 lived 6 to 7 years less than those who were not [Ann Intern Med 2003 Jan 7;138(1):24-32].

In Japan, people over 40 have to undergo waistline measurement to see if they are too fat or not. Those who are deemed too fat have to go through diet counseling. If chubby Japanese fail to get slender, they may be fined.

New Zealanders go even more extreme: Goverment can restrict those who are deemed "too fat" from immigrating to the country. It is unclear, however, which criteria New Zealand goverment uses to determine a "fat" individual from "non-fat" one .

In the U.S., obesity is a big public health problem. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2000 shows that the prevalence of overweight and obesity in adults is 64.5 percent and 30.5 percent, respectively. Even though there is no fine or immigration restriction policy yet in the U.S., life-style changes and weight-loss treatment are recommended for men and women whose waistlines are greater than 40 inches (102 cm) and 35 inches (89 cm), respectively.

The body mass index (BMI) is used to evaluate obesity. Overweight is defined as a BMI between 25 and 30; obesity between 30 and 35; morbid obesity greater than 35.

If you are curious about where you stand in the BMI spectrum, you may want to use the calculator located in the lower right-sided corner of vietshealth blog home page.