What is the difference between overweight
and obese?
An adult is considered "overweight" when
he/she is are above a healthy weight, which
varies according to a person's height. An
individual is overweight when their BMI
is between 25–29.9. The standard used by
researchers to define a person's weight
according to their height is "body mass
index" (BMI).
An adult with a BMI of 30 or more is considered
obese. For example, for a 5'4" woman, this
means that she is 30 or more pounds over
her healthy weight.
Why are so many people overweight or obese
today?There are a number of factors that influence
overweight or obesity, including
Behavior—eating too many calories while
not getting enough physical activity.
Environment—home, work, school, or community
can provide barriers to or opportunities
for an active lifestyle.
Genetics—heredity plays a large role in
determining how susceptible people are to
overweight and obesity. Genes also influence
how the body burns calories for energy or
stores fat.
Which groups of adults have the highest
rate of obesity?Using the definition of obesity
as a BMI of 30 of greater
Women—26 percent of all adult women are
obese, while 20.6 percent of men are obese.
Among women, obesity rates are higher
among minority women—39 percent of black
women and 36.1 percent of Hispanic women
are obese.
Adults aged 55–64 years have the greatest
percentage of obesity, for both men (27.2
percent) and women (33.7 percent).
In which adults do we see the greatest increase
in obesity?Between 1991 and 2000, the greatest
increase in obesity has been found in the following
groups:
What can be done about this major public
health problem?The Surgeon General recently
called for a broad approach to avoid and reduce
obesity. He challenged families, schools, work
sites, health care providers, communities, and
the media to work together to prevent and reduce
obesity through
Communication—by educating, motivating,
and empowering decision makers at all levels
to create healthier communities.
Action—by helping Americans balance healthy
eating with regular physical activity.
Research and Evaluation—by improving the
general public's understanding of the causes,
prevention, and treatment of overweight
and obesity.
What does CDC recommend to help people lose
weight?
The safest and most effective way to lose
weight is to reduce calories and increase
physical activity. It is best to consult
with your personal physician or health care
professional for advice to meet your needs.
Government research and recommendations
can provide the facts based on science so
that people can make informed choices about
appropriate weight loss. The fact is the
majority of people who are attempting weight
loss are not using the correct method to
achieve or maintain positive results.