Preparation of Special Meal

Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health. They are characterized by storage of excessive amounts of fat in adipose (i.e. fatty tissue) beneath the skin and within other organs, including muscles

In women the normal amount of body weight stored as fat is 25 per cent, in men 15 per cent. Obesity is a result of taking in more energy in food than one uses in activity.

Body mass index (BMI) is a simple index of weight-for-height that is commonly used in classifying overweight and obesity in adult populations and individuals. It is defined as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters (kg/m2).

BMI provides the most useful population-level measure of overweight and obesity as it is the same for both sexes and for all ages of adults. However, it should be considered as a rough guide because it may not correspond to the same degree of fatness in different individuals. To overcome this apparent disparity, an alternative method of measuring obesity is waisthip ratio (WHR), which some researchers regard as a better indicator of central adiposity (distribution of fat), which has been linked to some obesity-related diseases. WHRs for women of 0.8 and for men of 1.0 were seen as cut-off points; “ideal” WHRs were seen as less than 94 cm (37 in) for women and less than 102 cm (40 in) for men. However for general community assessment of obesity, the BMI is more commonly used.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines “overweight” as a BMI equal to or more than 25, and “obesity” as a BMI equal to or more than 30, >35 is regarded as very obese. These cut-off points provide a benchmark for individual assessment, but there is evidence that risk of chronic disease in populations increases progressively from a BMI of 21.

FACTS ABOUT OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY

WHO’s latest projections indicate that globally in 2005:

• approximately 1.6 billion adults (age 15+) were overweight;
• at least 400 million adults were obese.

WHO further projects that by 2015, approximately 2.3 billion adults will be overweight and more than 700 million will be obese.

At least 20 million children under the age of 5 years are overweight globally in 2005.

 

Once considered a problem only in high-income countries, overweight and obesity are now dramatically on the rise in lowand middle-income countries, particularly in urban settings.

 

Bringing this home, President OlusegunObasanjo in a WHO publication held that, “…Already, more than 35% of women in Nigeria are overweight; by 2010 this number will rise to 44%.”

 

You don’t believe that? I think the situation is getting much worse. I was invited to a church recently to hold a health workshop. I ran some basic tests there and my finding jarred me not a little. A whooping 61% of the attendees at that workshop were overweight!