Obesity

OBESITY Body Mass Index Body Mass Index Women Men Underweight Healthy weight Overweight Obese Underweight Healthy weight Overweight Obese <18.5 18.5-24.9 25.0-29.9 >40.0 <18.5 18.5-24.9 25.0-29.9 >40.0 • According to the National Institutes of Health, being overweight or obese by this measure can put you at risk for heart disease, type Il diabetes, and even some cancers. • Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. Since both men and women say they're taller than they actually are, the official obesity stats are lower than the actual rates. • They say they're not as heavy as they actually are. As a result, official obesity rates for women are much lower than are the true obesity rates • People with less than a high school degree have the highest obesity rate (32.9%). • Hispanics have an obesity rate of 30.7%. • Non-Hispanic white people have an obesity rate of 25.2%. Other races (i.e. Asians) have the lowest obesity rate of 16.7%. • The overall obesity rate increases for older age groups until the age of 60. • Approximately 72.5 million American adults are obese.