Weight Reduction Management
What is Obesity?
Obesity is also called corpulence or fatness is an excessive accumulation of body fat, usually caused by the consumption of more calories than the body can use. The excess calories are then stored as fat, or adipose tissue.
Obesity is a complex health issue resulting from a combination of causes and individual factors such as behavior and genetics. Behaviors can include physical activity, inactivity, dietary patterns, medication use, and other exposures. Additional contributing factors include the food and physical activity environment, education and skills, and food marketing and promotion.
How Common is Obesity?
Two-thirds of Australian adults are now overweight (35.6%) or obese (31.3%). Higher rates of men are overweight compared to women, while similar proportions of men and women are obese. The prevalence of overweight and obesity is rising in Australian adults, driven mainly by increased rates of obesity.
How is Obesity Measured?
Obesity is measured by measuring a person's Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. If your BMI is 25.0 to <30, it falls within the overweight range. If your BMI is 30.0 or higher, it falls within the obesity range. BMI screens for weight categories that may lead to health problems, but it does not diagnose the body fatness or health of an individual.
What are the Health Impacts of Obesity?
Obesity is serious because it is associated with poorer mental health outcomes and reduced quality of life. Obesity is also associated with the leading causes of death worldwide, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancer.
If you are concerned about your weight, book an appointment with your doctor to discuss your options.
