Obesity: Having a Body Mass Index of 30 or greater.
Find out your Body Mass Index using the BMI calculator or you can calculate yourself
BMI = (Weight(lbs) /height(in)^2) x 703
Healthy weight: 18.5 – 24.9 BMI
Overweight: 25-29.9 BMI
Members of the American Medical Association voted to upgrade obesity to disease status. These members believe that this upgrade will tempt insurers to think about paying for weight-loss treatments in the same capacity that they pay for smoking-cessation programs. Executive Director of the California Center for Public Health Policy, Harold Goldstein, stated that this could prompt health insurers to expand coverage of nutrition counseling to help people who are overweight or obese. Goldstein also stated that calling obesity a disease could boost efforts to remove junk food from schools and pass taxes on soda. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third(35.7%) of American adults are considered obese, 18% of children ages 6-11 are considered obese, and 18% of adolescents ages 12-19 are considered obese.
“… will bring additional awareness of the importance of the obesity and resulting diabetes epidemic and will encourage all of us to think about what we can do to change the culture in which we live.”
-Harold Goldstein
