My WebMD Sign In, Sign Up
WebMD Home

Ask Your Question

WebMD Answers

120 Characters remaining
120 Characters remaining
  • First, try and keep your question as short as possible.
  • Include specific words that will help us identify questions that may already have your answer.
  • If you don't find your answer, you can post your question to WebMD Experts and Contributors.

Close

Featuring Experts From

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
See all
Back to List
  |  
Next Question
Didn't find your answer? Post to
WebMD Experts and Contributors
Q.

What is obesity?

Related Topics: Obesity
Posted:
| Report This Report Question
Answer This
 

Answers From Experts & Organizations (1)

WebMDSUCCESS!
WebMD
7,873 Answers
93,966 Helpful Votes
149 Followers
A.

Obesity is an excess proportion of total body fat. A person is considered obese when his or her weight is 20% or more above normal weight. The most common measure of obesity is the body mass index or BMI.

A person is considered overweight if his or her BMI is between 25 and 29.9; a person is considered obese if his or her BMI is over 30.

"Morbid obesity" means that a person is either 50% to 100% over normal weight, more than 100 pounds over normal weight, has a BMI of 40 or higher, or is sufficiently overweight to severely interfere with health or normal function.

This answer should not be considered medical advice...down arrowThis answer should not be considered medical advice and should not take the place of a doctor’s visit. Please see the bottom of the page for more information or visit our Terms and Conditions.up arrow

Posted:
| Report This Report Answer

Was this helpful?

YesNo

Thanks for your feedback.

5 of 8 found this helpful
Read the Original Article: Obesity
 
 
1 Answer

Next Question:

As a parent, how can I help my child avoid obesity? Next Question