Keywords
body mass index
FS284
Categories
How to Cite
Abstract
Obesity is called an epidemic because there is a high rate of obesity in the United States. In fact, over 30% of all US adults were obese as of 2012, and more than two-thirds are either overweight or obese. This is concerning because excess body fat is linked to poor health and chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease. The amount of excess body fat a person has is commonly sorted into weight status categories using Body Mass Index. This 3-page fact sheet describes the body mass index and how to calculate it. Written by Kohrine A. Counts and Anne E. Mathews, and published by the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, August 2016.
FSHN16-6/FS284: Body Fat and Health: How Can I Tell if I am at Risk for Health Problems? (ufl.edu)
References
Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (DHHS and CDC). "Body mass index: considerations for practitioners." https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/downloads/bmiforpactitioners.pdf. Accessed March 2, 2016.
Harvard School of Public Health. 2020. "Measuring obesity." http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-definition/how-to-measure-body-fatness/. Accessed February 5, 2020.
Kok, P., J. C. Seidell, and A. ,E. Meinders. 2004. "The value and limitations of the body mass index (BMI) in the assessment of the health risks of overweight and obesity." Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd 148(48):2379-2382.
Maessen, M. F., T. M. Eijsvogels, R. J. Verheggen, M. T. Hopman, A. L. Verbeek, and F. de Vegt. 2014. "Entering a new era of body indices: the feasibility of a body shape index and body roundness index to identify cardiovascular health status." PLoS One 9(9):e107212. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0107212 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0107212
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The State of Obesity. 2019. "National Obesity Monitor." https://stateofchildhoodobesity.org/monitor/. Accessed February 5, 2020.