I.

OBESITY BASICS

1. What is obesity ? What are some causes of obesity?

1.1. What is obesity?

1.1.1. Definition

To make it simpler, obesity can be described as a conglomeration of piles of body fat, usually
calculated by an equation named BMI (Mayo Clinic, 2023). It is not only known for weight gain,
but it also includes a complicated health issue that relates to various risks like diabetes and
cardiovascular disease. It is important to notice that the effects can be extensive on public health.

1.1.2. Identify obesity through Body Max Index (BMI)

Identifying the preference for obesity usually depends on a formula called BMI also known as
Body Mass Index, a widely used measure of body fat centered on height and weight. Research
conducted by Weir and Jan (2023) offers perceptions for BMI categorization and cut-off points.
Which are vital for describing the risk for obesity and connected general condition problems. The
rule to calculate BMI is by using weight (kilograms) and dividing it by height (meters squared).
Example: BMI =kg/m^2. By using this formula, many researchers and healthcare professionals
can improve at identifying and estimating the obesity epidemic in America.

Moores (2023) pointed out that the average BMI was conducted at roughly 29.2%, pointing
to a major section of the population had fallen into the overweight category. This highlights the
importance of addressing the fundamental source of obesity and helping to improve successfully
all the outcomes of public health.

1.2. Some causes of obesity

To recognize the causes of obesity, it may depend on a mass of factors, including genetics,
behavioral influences, and environmental factors (HAVARD T.H. CHAN, 2016). First of all,
genetics is one of the causes of obesity. This is because it influences our bodies to store and
metabolize fat. The second point is that individual behaviors also contribute to causing obesity.
For instance, poor diet and fewer physical activities can lead to an aggravating state of health. In
addition, obesity is also resulted from environmental factors. Specifically, healthy food supplies,
inactive lifestyles, and social media users who love to promote overeating habits may contribute
to the ascendancy of obesity. By apprehension of these sources, if we are stepping in, we may
find a way to solve these multifarious interactive factors that make the obesity epidemic.

Obesity - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic. (2023). Mayo Clinic. Available from
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obesity/symptoms-causes/syc-20375742
[Accessed April 13, 2024]

Moores, D. (2023). Obesity: What you need to know. Healthline. Available from
https://www.healthline.com/health/obesity [Accessed April 13, 2024]

Weir, C. B. & Jan, A. (2023). BMI classification percentile and cut off points. StatPearls - NCBI
Bookshelf. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Available from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK541070/ [Accessed April 13, 2024]

Obesity Prevention Source. (2016). HAVARD T.H. CHAN. Available from

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-causes/ [Accessed April 13,
2024]