Abstract
Obesity is a worldwide epidemic affecting both adults and children. This chapter explores the trends in obesity prevalence, the effects that obesity exerts on one’s body, and the methods by which to reverse it.
Key Concepts
- •
According to 2016 World Health Organization data, worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975 with nearly 650 million obese adults worldwide.
- •
Most recent estimates, according to the 2015–16 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), reveal that 39.8% of the US adult population is obese (a body mass index [BMI] >30; Fig. 8.1 ).
Fig 8.1
US obesity trends in adult and childhood populations.
(Modified from Hales CM, Carroll MS, Fryar CD, Ogden CL. Prevalence of obesity among adults and youth: United States, 2015–2016. NCHS Data Brief . 2017;288:1–8.)
- •
The US government’s agenda for building a healthier nation—Healthy People 2020—has set a national goal to decrease obesity prevalence to <30.5% in adults and <14.5% in youth by the year 2020.
- •
Obesity has been implicated in many musculoskeletal conditions, including knee osteoarthritis and meniscal tears, hip fractures, medial epicondylitis, rotator cuff tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and postural instability. Obesity leads to a greater need for surgical intervention and yet also predisposes to higher rates of postsurgical complications.
- •
Obesity is a risk factor for the development of chronic medical diseases including diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, stroke, chronic pain, numerous cancers, sleep apnea, infertility, birth defects/miscarriages, asthma, and other respiratory illnesses.
- •
Weight loss, combined with physical exercise and cognitive-behavioral therapy, can help treat both the musculoskeletal conditions and chronic medical diseases caused by obesity.
Demographics
- •
The BMI is a calculation used in the classification of obesity and compares weight to height parameters (weight [kg]/height [m 2 ]). A BMI of 25 to 30 is classified “overweight,” whereas a BMI >30 is “obese” ( Fig. 8.2 ).
Fig 8.2
Body mass index (BMI) table.
(Data from National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults: The Evidence Report . Bethesda, MD: NIH Publications; 1998.)Related posts:
Stay updated, free articles. Join our Telegram channel
Full access? Get Clinical Tree
