Obesity Vs Overweight

Obesity and overweight are global health concerns characterized by excessive body fat that poses risks to an individual’s health and well-being. While the terms are often used interchangeably, they have distinct medical definitions based on Body Mass Index (BMI). Overweight refers to a BMI between 25 and 29.9, indicating an excess of body weight relative to height, which may include muscle, bone, fat, or water.

Overview

Increased bodily fat is the cause of becoming overweight.

Excessive fat deposits that can harm health are the hallmark of obesity, a chronic complicated disease. Obesity can damage bone health and reproduction, raise the risk of some malignancies, and increase the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The quality of life, including sleeping and mobility, is impacted by obesity.

Weight (kg)/height² (m²) is the body mass index (BMI), which is determined by taking a person’s height and weight to diagnose overweight and obesity. The body mass index can be used as a reference for obesity, and other evaluations, such as the waist circumference, can help diagnose obesity.

The BMI classifications used to define obesity in newborns, kids, and adults differ with age and gender.

Adults

The following is how the WHO characterizes adult obesity and overweight:

• BMI 25 or 30 (Overweight)
• BMI of 30 or above (Obese)

Age should be considered when defining pediatric obesity and overweight.

Children under 5 years of age

For kids younger than five years old:

• An individual is deemed overweight if his height-to-weight ratio is a factor of two or more over the WHO Child Growth Standards median.
• Obesity is defined as a weight-for-height ratio greater than 3 standard deviations above the World Health Organization’s child developmental average.

Children aged between 5–19 years

The following criteria apply to children ages 5 to 19 who are overweight or obese:

• Overweight is defined as having a BMI for age that is more than one standard deviation higher than the WHO Growth Reference median; and
• Obesity is over two percent higher than the WHO Increase Guideline average.

Facts about overweight and obesity

Compared to 1990, when 25% of adults aged 18 and over were classified as overweight and 44% of women were, this suggests 43% of humanity aged 18 and over were overweight, including 43% of respondents becoming male. The WHO Southeast Asia and African Regions have a 31% rate of people who are overweight, while the Americas and Latin America have a 67% proportion.

Around the world, 23% of adults aged 19 and over were obese in the year 2022. On a global scale, the worldwide incidence of obesity has almost doubled between 1990 and 2022.

In 2022, 37 million children under five had been projected to be overweight. Overweight was always thought to be an issue in high-income countries, but it is now becoming more prevalent in low- and middle-income countries. Since 2000, there has been a nearly 23% increase in the number of overweight children under 5 in Africa. Out of all children under five who were overweight or obese in 2022, which was Asian children constituted surrounding half.

The counting of overweight children and adults aged 5 to 19 will process 350 million in 2022. The incidence of overweight (this includes obesity) beyond children and adolescents aged 6 to 15 has gently grown, rising from just 6% in 1990 to 26% in 2023. The same counts are being observed for boys and girls: in 2022, 25% of boys and 17% of girls were overweight.

Even though there were merely 31 million obese children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 in 1990, 8% of them (160 million young people) remained fat by 2022.

Causes of Overweight Vs Obesity

Overweight and obesity are caused by a lack involving calories consumed (diet) and expended (physical activity).

Obesity is typically a complex condition caused by genetic variations, psycho-social variables, and obesogenic settings. One significant etiological factor (diseases, drugs, immobilization, iatrogenic treatments, monogenic disease/genetic condition) can be found in a subgroup of individuals.

A lack of safe and easy physical mobility into everyone’s daily life, a lack of an adequate legal and regulatory environment, and structural factors that limit the availability of healthy, sustainable food at locally affordable prices are all contributing factors to the obesogenic environment that increases the likelihood of obesity in individuals, populations, and various settings.

The development of obesity is also being accelerated by the absence of an efficient reaction from the health system to detect excessive weight gain and fat deposition in their early stages.

Common health consequences

The dangers that overweight and obesity pose to one’s health are becoming more widely known and understood.

A higher-than-optimal body mass index (BMI) was expected to have contributed to 5 million deaths in 2019 from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, neurological disorders, chronic respiratory conditions, and digestive problems.

Childhood and teenage obesity has an immediate impact on health and is linked to an increased risk and earlier onset of some non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Obesity in children and adolescents has detrimental psychosocial effects; it impairs academic achievement and quality of life and is exacerbated by bullying, discrimination, and stigma. Fat children have a higher chance of becoming obese adults and of developing noncommunicable conditions (NCDs).

The obesity problem has a significant monetary effect additionally. If it is done, it will be estimated that overweight and obesity will cost the globe $4 trillion a year by 2035 and more than $17 trillion by 2060.

lastly, an issue that was formerly exclusive to high-income nations is rapidly becoming globalized due to the rise in obesity rates in low- and middle-income nations, even among weaker socioeconomic categories.

Facing a double burden of malnutrition

Numerous nations with low or middle incomes have been affected by the known double burden of malnutrition.

These nations are still struggling with undernutrition and infectious diseases, but they are also seeing a sharp increase in risk factors for noncommunicable diseases including obesity and overweight.

Undernutrition and obesity are frequently found coexisting in the same nation, community, and home.

Poor nutrition throughout pregnancy, infancy, and early childhood is more likely to affect children in low- and middle-income nations. These kids are also exposed to meals that are heavy in fat, sugar, salt, energy, and micronutrients, which are often less expensive but often lower in nutritional value. Undernutrition problems are still unresolved, and childhood obesity rates rise sharply as a result of these food habits combined with decreased physical activity levels.

Prevention and management

Most noncommunicable diseases associated with overweight and obesity can be avoided or controlled.

Individuals may be able to lower their risk by implementing preventative measures at every stage of life, beginning before conception and continuing throughout the early years. These consist of:

• make sure that pregnant women gain the right amount of weight;
• practice exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months following delivery and continue to do so for at least 24 months;
• encourage children’s healthy eating, exercise, sedentary behavior, and sleep habits, irrespective of their present weight;
• limit the amount of time one spends in proximity to devices;
• Limit your intake of beverages with added sugar and
• foods high in energy and encourage other wholesome eating practices;
• live a healthy lifestyle, which includes eating a balanced food, exercising, getting enough sleep, abstaining from alcohol and tobacco, and controlling one’s emotions;
• increasing consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and nuts while reducing calorie intake from total fats and sweets;
• Take part in regular exercise.

Healthcare workers must

• verify those involved in applying the medical treatments’ height and weight;
• present guidance on a healthy diet and way of living;
• Provide comprehensive obesity prevention and management health services, including advice on a healthy diet, exercise, and medical and surgical interventions, as soon as an obese diagnosis is made; and
• Examine for comorbidities and disabilities, such as mental health conditions, and keep an eye on blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose, among other NCD risk factors.

Environmental and cultural factors significantly limit personal choice and influence nutrition and physical activity patterns for individuals. Because obesity is a societal issue rather than an individual one, it can be resolved by fostering communities and supportive environments that promote regular exercise and a healthy diet as the most practical, inexpensive, and accessible lifestyle choices.

Multisectoral initiatives that target the broader determinants of health (such as poverty alleviation and urban planning), as well as food production, marketing, and pricing, are necessary to curb the growth in obesity.

These measures and policies consist of:

• structural, financial, and regulatory measures to establish healthy food environments that contribute to the availability, accessibility, and desirability of healthier food options; and
• details from the health sector that are prepared to recognize danger, stop it, treat it, and manage it. To address NCDs and fortify health systems using a primary healthcare approach, these initiatives must be expanded upon and incorporated into larger initiatives.

The following are some important ways that the food business may support healthy diets:

• guaranteeing that all customers have access to and can afford healthy and nourishing options;
• limiting the promotion of foods heavy in fat, sugar, and salt, particularly those targeted at kids and teens; and
• Making sure healthy food choices are accessible as well as supporting regular exercise in work environments.

Psychological health and indicators of risk

Health outcomes might be more strongly correlated with other risk variables. In other words, concentrating solely on your BMI may not be the best way to assess your risk for some different health issues.

These indicators may consist of

Blood pressure: Excessive blood sugar is related to heart problems and stroke.

Insulin and blood sugar level: You can determine your risk of acquiring diabetes by looking at these indicators. An insulin or glucose test can be used to measure them.

Cholesterol levels: Heart disease may result from elevated cholesterol levels.

Substance use: This covers the usage of alcohol, tobacco, and other substances.

Exercise: Regular activity can lower your chance of contracting some physical and mental illnesses.

Family history: Several diseases involve a familial element. You may be more susceptible to some illnesses if you have close relatives who have them.

Diet and nutrition: Whether or not you tend to acquire weight, your diet has a significant impact on your health. Health depends on having access to wholesome nutrition.

Summary

Obesity and overweight are quite prevalent conditions. Despite their minor differences, they share numerous health issues, including a higher risk of cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and chronic pain.

Overweight or obesity can result from a variety of circumstances, including underlying medical issues and lifestyle choices. However, many treatment choices can help you manage your illness and reach your target weight, including taking medication, eating a healthy diet, and exercising more.

FAQs

References

• What are overweight and obesity? | NHLBI, NIH. (2022, March 24). NHLBI, NIH. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/overweight-and-obesity
• Hospital, S., & Team, H. S. (2024, November 13). Difference between overweight and obese. Sahyadri Hospital. https://sahyadrihospital.com/blog/difference-between-overweight-and-obese/
• Msci, Y. S. a. M. (2024, March 17). The Meaning of Overweight vs. Obesity. Verywell Health. https://www.verywellhealth.com/the-difference-between-overweight-and-obesity-2509582
• Overweight and Obesity – Healthy People 2030 | odphp.health.gov. (n.d.). https://odphp.health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/overweight-and-obesity
• Obesity. (2024, October 29). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/11209-weight-control-and-obesity