Obesity Major Problem

Obesity is a major health problem in North America and several European countries. Currently over half of the total population living in the United States is thought to be having either overweigt or obesity. Incidence of obesity continue to increase in both males and females. Of all U.S. women twenty years and older, about 64 million can be considered as overweight and more than 34 million are will fall in to the catagory of obese women.

Obesity is associated with significant health hazards and increase death rates. Obese individuals are more suseptible to suffer from coronory artary disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cerebrovascular events and a host of other medical conditions. It is very important that we all eat healhy food and routinely maintain a program of physical activity througout life. To lose weight and keep it off over time, try making long-term modifications in your dietery and physical activity habits.

Measuring the exact amount of a person's body fat level is not easy. The most accurate measures of body fat are weighing a person underwater or inside a chamber that uses the principle of air displacement to estimate body volume, or to use an X-ray technique called DEXA. Body fat mesaurements need not be so complex. There are many simpler methods to estimate fat content of the body. One is to measure the thickness of the fat layer just under the skin in several parts of the body. Another involves passing a small amount of electricity through a person's body. Results from these methods, can however be, less than accurate especially if done by an inexperienced person or on someperson with high level of obesity.

Because directly measuring body fat is cumbersome, physicians and other health care workers often rely on other methods to make a diagnosis of obesity. These include weight for height charts, and body mass index estimations. These are good estimates of a person's body fat content even though less accurate than direct measurements.

Posted by: Edwin