The Weight Advantage

Overweight refers to an excess of bodyfat compared to set standards. This can be excess muscle, bone, fat and/or body water. Obesity specifically refers to having an abnormally high percentage of body fat.

A person can be overweight without being obese, for example a body builder who would have an excess of muscle. However a lot of people who are overweight are also obese.

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Overweight and obesity are known risk factors for:

* diabetes
* coronary heart disease
* high blood cholesterol
* stroke
* hypertension
* gallbladder disease
* osteoarthritis (degeneration of cartilage and bone of joints)
* sleep apnea and other breathing problems
* some forms of cancer (breast, colorectal, endometrial, and kidney)



Obesity is also associated with:

* complications of pregnancy
* menstrual irregularities
* hirsutism (presence of excess body and facial hair)
* stress incontinence (urine leakage caused by weak pelvic floor muscles)
* psychological disorders, such as depression
* increased surgical risk
* increased mortality

The most commoly used method to determine wether someone's body weight has increased their health risk is body mass index(BMI). BMI is an index of weight adjusted for the height of an indivdual. BMI does not directly measure the percentage of bodyfat, but is a more accurate indicator of body fat then relying on weight alone.

BMI is calculated by deviding a person's weight in kilograms by their height in meters squared. The mathematical formula is weight (kg)/height (m²). Someone with a BMI of 25-29.9 kg/m² is considered overweight, while someone with a BMI of 30 kg/m² or greater is considered to be obese.

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Overweight and obesity exists in all countries, and the prevalence of these conditions ranks high in America and other developed nations. Below are some important statistics about these conditions. Data are based on NHANES 2001 to 2004.

1) The amount of adults age 20 and older that are overweight or obese (BMI > 25)

a)About two thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese.

All adults: 133.6 million (66 percent)
Women: 65 million (61.6 percent)
Men: 68.3 million (70.5 percent)

2) The amount of adults age 20 and over who are obese

a) Almost one third of U.S. adults are obese.

All adults: 63.6 million (31.4 percent)
Women: 35 million (33.2 percent)
Men: 28.6 million (29.5 percent)

3) The amount of adults age 20 and over that are at a healthy weight

a) Fewer then one third of U.S. adults are at a healthy weight.

All adults: 65.4 million (32.3 percent)
Women: 38.1 million (36.1 percent)
Men: 27.4 million (28.3 percent)

4) How the prevalence of overweight and obesity in adults have changed over the years.

a) Overweight and obesity have steadily increased over the years among both genders, all ages, all racial and ethnic groups, all educational levels, and all smoking levels. In the time period 1960-2004 the prevalence of overweight has increased from 44.8 to 66 % in U.S. adults age 20-74. In the same time period the prevalence of obesity has more then doubled among U.S. adults age 20-74 from 13.3 to 32.1 %, with most of this rise occurring from 1980.

5) The prevalence of overweight and obesity in minorities.

a) In woman overweight and obesity is more common in non-Hispanic black and Mexican American women then in non-Hispanic white woman. Among men there is little difference in prevalence among these groups.

Non-Hispanic Black Women: 79.6 percent
Mexican-American Women: 73 percent
Non-Hispanic White Women: 57.6 percent

Non-Hispanic Black Men: 67 percent
Mexican-American Men: 74.6 percent
Non-Hispanic White Men: 71 percent

6) The prevelence of overweight and obesity children and adolescents.

a) There is no generally accepted definition of obesity that is dsitinct from overweight in children and adolescents, but the prevalence of overweight is increasing for children and adolescents in America. About 17.5 % of children (age 6 to 11) and 17 % of adolescents (age 12 to 19) were overweight in 2001 to 2004.



7) The mortality rate associated with obesity.

a) Most studies show and increase in mortality rate associated with obesity. Individuals that is obese have a 10-50 % better chance of dying from all causes then healthy individuals (BMI 18.5 to 24.9). Most of the increased risk is associated with cardiovascular causes. Obesity causes about 112 000 excess deaths per year in the U.S. population compared to healthy weight individuals.

There is both direct and indirect costs to overweight and obesity. The direct costs refers to the actual medical costs of people who develop health problems through being overweight. Indirect economical costs is the wages lost by people who are unable to work because of being overweight as well as future earnings lost because of premature death.

1) The cost of overweight and obesity.

Total Cost: $117 billion
Direct Cost: $61 billion
Indirect Cost: $56 billion

2) The cost of lost productivity due to overweight and obesity

Workdays lost: $39.3 million
Physician office visits: $62.7 million
Restricted-activity days: $239 million
Bed-days: $89.5 million

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1) Physical activity of th US population

Only about 26% of the US population engage in vigorous excercise in their leisure time 3-4 times a week. About 59% of adults do no vigorous activity in their leisure time at all.

About 25% of young people do light to moderate acivity almost every day and 50% do regular vigorous physical activity. About 25% do no vigorous activity and about 14% report no vigorous or moderate recent physical activity.

2) The cost of physical inactivity

The direct cost of physical inactivity may be as high as $24.3 billion

3) The benefits of physical activity

Aside from lowering weight, physical activity reduces the risk of dying from coronary heart disease and reduces the risk of developing diabetes, hypertension and colon cancer.

Source: WIN (Weight-control Information Network)