Overweight and Obesity

BMI Definition

  Body Mass Index (BMI) indicates a person’s obesity and overweight, which is calculated by weight and height.

  Truncal obesity is defined in terms of waist–hip (or waist–height) ratio.

  There is a slight difference between overweight and obesity.

  A person with BMI between 25.0 and 29.9 is considered overweight and ≥30.0 is considered obese.

Impact of Overweight and Obesity

  Major causes of overweight and obesity are type 2 diabetes and cardio vascular disease, high blood pressure, blood glucose and cholesterol levels.

Death Occurrence

  Overweight and obesity are the fifth leading risk factors for global deaths. Nearly 2.8 million deaths occur every year.

  In SEAR countries nearly 0.35 million deaths occurred due to overweight and obesity.

  Except Nepal, variations in prevalence of overweight and obesity have been found in males and females (in males 8% to 30% and in females 8% to 52%). Maldives attained the highest position with 30% in males and 52% in females followed by Thailand with 26% and 36% respectively.

Percentage of adult population with overweight and obesity, South-East Asia Region, 2008

Childhood Obesity

  One of the emerging issues faced by today's world is childhood obesity. In India, the prevalence is 3.4% and 8.5%, respectively.

  In Thailand, a school survey report reveals that 28% children were overweight.