Health Literacy — Obesity

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Note: Please consult with your healthcare provider if you are concerned about your weight. This article is aimed toward adults and not towards children.

What is obesity: Information is from CDC and WebMD

Obesity in adults is when Body Mass Index (BMI) is over 30. To check whether an adult is obese, they can use the BMI calculator on the CDC’s website. This number usually has a correlation with the amount of body fat, but does not take into account the amount of muscle mass a person has. However, it does help get an accurate depiction of how much fat a person has for the general population This does not include some athletes/bodybuilders.

The risks of being obese

According to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, “A healthy weight sets the stage for bones, muscles, brain and heart to play their parts smoothly and efficiently for many years.” Conversely, there are many health effects of not maintaining a healthy weight. The disease that has the most correlation with obesity is Type 2 Diabetes. In addition, obese individuals have a higher chance of suffering from coronary artery disease and stroke.

How to Treat Obesity: Information is from CDC, Mayo Clinic, and Medical News Today

Data from the CDC shows that when obese people lose five to 10 percent of their body weight, there are a lot of benefits. There are many components to achieving weight loss, including controlling diet, exercise, and sleep. Eating a diet high in fiber and low in ultra-processed food can help reduce weight. Exercising helps weight loss.

The Department of Health and Human Services recommends 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity each week. This can be incorporated in regular tasks such as brisk walking and mowing the lawn.

While it may be overlooked, sleeping for at least seven hours a night is recommended when losing weight.

Hansika is a student in the East Granby Schools.