Obesity is not simply a condition which results from eating too much. It is a serious, chronic disease recognized by health professionals.
Obesity is defined as an excessively high amount of body fat tissue in relation to lean body mass. The amount of body fat includes concern for both the distribution of fat throughout the body and the size of the fat tissue deposits. Body fat distribution can be estimated by skin fold measures, waist-to-hip circumference ratios, or techniques such as ultrasound, computed tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging.
In the United States, obesity has risen at an epidemic rate during the past 20 years. One of the national health objectives for the year 2010 is to reduce the prevalence of obesity among adults to less than 15 percent. Research indicates that the situation is worsening rather than improving.
Recent results of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999 indicate that an estimated 61 percent of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese, defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or more.
Among U.S. adults aged 20-74 years:
• Overweight — defined as BMI 25.0–29.9 — has increased an estimated two percent since 1980, increasing from 33 percent to the 35 percent of the population in 1999* (from www.cdc.gov ).
• Obesity — defined as BMI greater than or equal to 30.0 — has nearly doubled from approximately 15 percent in 1980 to an estimated 27 percent in 1999.