October 20, 2003 Hello! For current teens, 1986 was a lifetime ago. "Between 1986 and
2000, the prevalence of severe obesity - people having a body mass
index (BMI) of 40 or greater - quadrupled from about 1 in 200 adult
Americans to 1 in 50 adults, the study found. During the same period,
the rate of moderate obesity roughly doubled, from 1 in 10 to 1
in 5. BMI is a measure of a person's weight in relation to height.
Obesity is defined as a BMI of 30 or greater. People with a BMI
of 40 or more are classified as severely obese. The largest growth
was among people with a BMI over 50. That group grew from 1 in 2000
to 1 in 400 Americans over the 14-year study period. A typical man
in that group stands 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 373 pounds.
Sturm's findings undermine some clinicians' view that severe obesity
is a rare medical condition and not related to behavioral changes
in the general population. To the contrary, as Americans get fatter,
the prevalence of extreme obesity grows fastest, according to the
study...." What does this mean? As of the year 2002, 37.0%
of the adults in the United States were Overweight by Body Mass
Index (up from 33.1% in 1990).--"All respondents 18 and older
who report that their Body Mass Index (BMI) is between 25.0 and
29.9. BMI is defined as weight in kilograms divided by height in
meters squared (w/h2)." Add that to the 22.1% of
adults in the United States who are Obese by Body Mass Index (up
from 11.6% in 1990)--"All respondents 18 and older who report
that their Body Mass Index (BMI) is 30.0 or more." The result is just over 59% of adults in the United States are overweight or obese (up from 44.7% in 1990). "If the trend continues,
it will lead to millions more cases of diabetes, cardiovascular
disease, and some cancers, he said in an interview. Are doctors
and hospitals ready? 'I think there's a real issue of whether the
healthcare system can absorb it,' Downey said." When does something that affects over half the adult population stop becoming news and start becoming the norm? Just because it's the norm, should it no longer be news?, or should it remain news because it does affect so many people? If over half the population is currently above what is considered a healthy BMI, then does the problem lie with the people or the BMI scale? "BMI is a reliable
indicator of total body fat, which is related to the risk of disease
and death. The score is valid for both men and women but it does
have some limits. The limits are: BMI is not an exact science,
and it does have it's flaws, but as scores rise above 40 and 50,
there is less room to argue that concern lies with the test. How
much should you weigh for your height? What is a healthy range you?
Body Mass Index Table Calculate your Body Mass
Index at: Please note that the BMI
does not produce accurate numbers for children and shorter teens
and adults. Charts begin at 58 inches. Questions of the Week: Please email me with any ideas or suggestions. I look forward to reading what you have to say. Cindy |
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