Obesity

Statistics show that around a quarter of adults in the UK are classed as obese – this means they are carrying too much body fat for their height and sex.

Being overweight or obese can often be a result of consuming more calories than are used up over a period of time.

Being overweight or obese can lead to serious health problems including heart disease, diabetes and some forms of cancer, and whilst weight management can help; a healthy lifestyle is dependent on other factors such as amount of exercise that is undertaken or whether a person smokes or not.

Overweight and obesity can be measured in different ways, however the most common and accurate method used is to calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI).

To calculate your BMI you take your weight in kilograms and divide it by your height in metres squared. For example a person who is 180 cm tall and weighs 85 KG would have a BMI of 26.23 making them overweight.

For this person the calculation would be 85 divided by (1.80 x 1.80 ) = 26.23.

In the UK, people with a BMI between 25 and 29.9 are classed as overweight and those with an index of 30 and above are categorised as obese. For full classifications of BMI indexes please refer to the table below.

Classification	BMI (kg/m2)
Healthy Weight	18.5 - 24.9
Overweight	25 - 29.9
Obese 1	30 - 34.9
Obese 2	35 - 39.9
Obese 3 (severe)	40 or more

When using BMI it is important to remember it gives a measure of your weight relative to your height and is not a direct measure of fatness, but rather an estimate of fatness.

In some individuals the BMI may be high, suggesting obesity, yet the person may have a body build with plenty of muscle and little fat. A good example of this would be a large, heavy and fit rugby player who has very well developed muscles. At the other extreme, an old person may have a normal or low BMI but may still have a high proportion of body fat. This is possible because the amount of lean (muscle) tissue in the body decreases, as we get older.

For more information on the causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of obesity visit NHS Direct.

Obesity levels in Dorset are below the national average, however current trends show small year on year increases.

For more information on leading a healthy lifestyle and local initiatives visit the Lets Get Active pages of Dorset Primary Care Trust.