Obesity is a term used to describe body weight that is much greater than what is considered healthy. There are many ways to determine if a person is obese, but experts believe that a person's body mass index (BMI) is the most accurate measurement of body fat for children and adults.
Adults with a BMI greater than 30 are considered obese. Adults with a BMI between 25 and 29.9 are considered overweight. There are exceptions. For example, an athlete may have a higher BMI but not be overweight.
Nearly two-thirds of the United States population is overweight. Anyone more than 100 pounds overweight is considered morbidly obese. |
