Obesity is a major issue around the world, and as more and more people put on excess weight it is a problem that is only likely to get worse.

In the UK it is estimated that one in five men and a quarter of women are obese, and that as many as 30,000 people die prematurely every year from obesity-related conditions.

How do you know if you are obese?

Most doctors calculate obesity using a formula known as the Body Mass Index (BMI).

It is a measure based on height and weight that applies to both adult men and women.

To calculate your BMI divide your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in metres.

OBESITY is most commonly defined in terms of body mass index (BMI).

BMI is calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in metres, squared.

A desirable BMI is considered to be in the region of 20-25. Anything above this is defined as overweight. And a BMI of more than 30 is considered to be obese.

Having a waist circumference of more than 37 inches (94cms) if you are a man, and 32 inches (80cms) if you are a woman, means that you are at increased risk of developing heart disease and diabetes.

Source: icWales.co.uk

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The global obesity pandemic combined with society's anti-fat bias is more damaging to women than to men, an expert has warned at an international conference.

"Being obese and female is as bad as it gets," Berit Heitmann, a nutritional and medical research advisor to the Danish government, told a meeting of world obesity experts gathered in Sydney Wednesday.

Not only were obese women socially stigmatised more than their male counterparts, but their health suffered to a greater degree, delegates at the 10th International Congress on Obesity heard.

Heitmann said that although gender differences in the obesity epidemic were narrowing, the vicious circle of obesity and poverty still had a greater impact on women.

Obesity in America

The chart below represents the rankings for percentages of obese adults in each state, from highest to lowest. The rankings are based on averages of three years of data from 2002-2004.

Adult Obesity Ranking (Highest to Lowest) State
1 Mississippi
2 Alabama
3 West Virginia
4 Louisiana
5 Tennessee
6 (tie) Michigan
6 (tie) Texas
6 (tie) Kentucky
9 Indiana
10 South Carolina
11 Arkansas
12 Georgia
13 Ohio
14 Oklahoma
15 Pennsylvania
16 (tie) North Carolina
16 (tie) Missouri
16 (tie) North Dakota
19 Alaska
20 (tie) Iowa
20 (tie) Nebraska
22 (tie) Kansas
22 (tie) Illinois
22 (tie) Virginia
25 Minnesota
26 South Dakota
27 Delaware
28 Wisconsin
29 (tie) Washington
29 (tie) Maryland
31 California
32 (tie) Maine
32 (tie) Nevada
34 New York
35 DC
36 Oregon
37 Idaho
38 Florida
39 New Mexico
40 (tie) New Jersey
40 (tie) Arizona
42 Wyoming
43 New Hampshire
44 Utah
45 (tie) Montana
45 (tie) Vermont
47 Connecticut
48 Rhode Island
49 Massachusetts
50 Colorado
(N/A) (Hawaii)

Obesity rates continue to climb in every state except Oregon, and government policies and actions offer little hope of reversing the trend, according to  a new report released recently from the Trust for America’s Health.

The report, F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America, 2005, found that Mississippi is the heaviest state, while Colorado is the least heavy.

Overweight and obesity are an important health issue in the United States, and has increased substantially over the last 2 decades.

In 2000, approx. 60 million people –close to 31% of adults aged 20 years and older- were obese, with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more.

By 2004, about 119 million Americans are either overweight or obese. That’s 64.5 percent of adult Americans.

The percentage of American women who are obese has not increased in recent years, but unfortunately, it’s still high, at about one-third.

However, men and children are gaining on women when it comes to being overweight.

Obesity rates on the rise

Dr. Arthur Frank runs a medical weight management program. He says, “We used to see primarily women in our program, almost entirely women in our program. But now, over the past number of years, we’re seeing men who are dealing with it.”

That’s because more American men are obese than ever before, and children are also gaining weight, according to a new Journal of the American Medical Association study.