Obesity

Obesity is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by excessive accumulation of body fat and/or abnormal fat distribution, usually accompanied by weight gain. The incidence of childhood obesity is increasing year by year. There are various methods to diagnose obesity, among which the more commonly used ones are Body Mass Index (BMI) and ideal body weight. BMI (kg/m^2) = weight (kg) / height (m)^2. A BMI between 24 and 27.9 indicates overweight; a BMI ≥ 28 indicates obesity; and a BMI ≥ 32 indicates severe obesity. Ideal body weight (kg) = height (cm) - 105 or = [height (cm) - 100] × 0.9 (for males) or × 0.85 (for females). Being 10.0% to 19.9% above ideal body weight is considered overweight; being 20.0% or more above ideal body weight is considered obese. Note: These two methods cannot accurately describe the distribution of body fat or differentiate between fat and muscle content. Therefore, individuals with well-developed muscles may be misdiagnosed.