Obesity
Name
Institution
Obesity
Epidemiology of the Disease
There exists a global epidemic of obesity across all age groups both in developed and developing nations. The number of obese people globally has been on the increase with an estimated 300 million obese adults in 2000 as compared to 200 million in 1995 (Ofei, 2005). Additionally, there has been an increase in children suffering from obesity in the same period (Ofei, 2005).
Description of The Disease And Its Clinical Symptoms
Obesity is defined as a condition of abnormal or excessive fat accumulation to the extent that health is impaired (Ofei, 2005). The amount of excess fat and its distribution in the body, either around the waist and trunk or peripherally around the body, have important health implications (Ofei, 2005). Generally, obesity is linked with higher risks of disability or early death due to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular illnesses, gall bladder disease and non-fatal conditions like gout, respiratory conditions, and infertility (Ofei, 2005). In addition, obesity seriously affects the psychological health, mainly due to social bias against fatness (Ofei, 2005). Centrally distributed body fat is associated with greater risk of mortality than a more peripheral distribution (Ofei, 2005). Furthermore, pre-existing conditions like type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and smoking expose people with them to substantial health risks at lower obesity levels (Ofei, 2005). With this in mind, it is important that overweight people consider their body fat distribution and the presence of other risk factors (Ofei, 2005).
Body mass index (BMI), defined as the weight in kilograms divided by the height in meters squared (kg/m2), is the most widely used measure of obesity due to its low cost and simplicity. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Institutes of health (NIH) have defined overweight as the presence of a BMI ranging between 25.0 and 29.9 kg/m2; and obesity as...
