Obesity
OBESITY IS CATEGORIZED BY BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) OF 30.0 OR HIGHER FOR ADULTS (CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, 2021). BMI REPRESENTS THE INDIVIDUAL’S PERCENT OF BODY FAT COMPARED TO THE PERCENT OF BODY FAT OF THE AVERAGE PERSON OF THE SAME AGE, SEX AND HEIGHT.
Statistics
Health Risks and Demographics
Understanding Obesity
Statistics
In the United States, the prevalence of obesity for children and adolescents ages 2- 19 years was 18.5 % or 13.7 million people. The prevalence for 2 to 5 year olds was 13.9 %, 6 to 11 years old was 18.4 % and 12 to 19 years olds was 20.6 %. The prevalence of obesity in adults was 39.8 %.
Health Risks
There are a large number of immediate and long-term health risks associated with childhood obesity including cardiovascular, metabolic, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, skeletal, neurological and psychosocial disorders. Specific diseases that have been found to be associated with obesity are type 2 diabetes, migraines, systemic inflammation, coronary heart disease, heart attack, asthma, sleep apnea and psychiatric illnesses such as depression and anxiety.
Demographics and Vulnerable Populations
Obesity disproportionately affects ethnic minorities who have the highest age-adjusted prevalence of obesity: Non-Hispanic Black (49.6%) followed by Hispanic (44.8%) and Non-Hispanic White (42.2 %) and Asian (17.4 %). Children with special healthcare needs (i.e. require health services or are at increased risk for physical, emotional, developmental, behavioral conditions) are at increased risk of being overweight and obese. Children who attend disadvantaged schools (social disadvantage and low socioeconomic status) have also been found to be at higher risk of obesity particularly those in the 10.5 to 12 year old range.
Understanding Obesity
Obesity has traditionally been viewed as a product of or individual choice in dietary and physical exercise levels and in this sense has not been viewed as a biopsychosocial problem. The person-blaming approach to obesity has guided the treatment response, which most often takes the form of weight loss campaigns. As countless obesity prevention initiatives and campaigns have proven unsuccessful or unsustainable due to focusing primarily on caloric intake, the conception of obesity as a multifaceted and interdisciplinary problem has become more prominent.