Obesity: Definition, Statistics, Causes, Complications, and Management

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the definition, South African epidemiological statistics, BMI classification formulas, etiologies, comorbidities, and lifestyle interventions for obesity.

Obesity

Excess body fat that could impair health.

Body Mass Index (BMI) Metric Formula

The formula used to calculate body mass index using metric units: $\text{BMI} = \frac{\text{Weight (kg)}}{\text{Ht}^2\,(\text{m}^2)}$.

Body Mass Index (BMI) Imperial Formula

The alternative formula used to calculate body mass index using imperial units: $\text{BMI} = \frac{\text{Weight (lbs)} \times 703}{\text{Ht}^2\,(\text{in}^2)}$.

Underweight (BMI Range)

A BMI score of less than $18.5$.

Healthy Range (BMI)

A BMI score between $18.5$ and $24.9$ (also listed on clinical diagnostic tables as $18.8$ to $24.9$).

Overweight (BMI Range)

A BMI score between $25$ and $29.9$.

Obese (BMI Threshold)

The clinical category diagnosed when an individual's BMI reaches $30$ or more (specifically between $30$ and $40$).

Very Obese (BMI Range)

A BMI score of more than $40$.

BMI Athlete Limitation

A diagnostic discrepancy where muscular athletes register a BMI higher than normal despite having normal amounts of body fat, because muscle tissue weighs more than fat.

Female Obesity Rate in South Africa

The proportion of adult women in South Africa who are obese, recorded at $70\%$.

Male Obesity Rate in South Africa

The proportion of adult men in South Africa who are obese, recorded at $31\%$.

South African Childhood Obesity Rate

Stands at $13\%$ of children, which is nearly triple the international average of $5\%$.

Teen Fast Food Consumption (South Africa)

The proportion of South African teenagers who consume fast food at least once a week, recorded at $82\%$.

Per Capita Healthcare Cost of Unhealthy Weight (South Africa)

The annual healthcare expenditure resulting from unhealthy body weight in South Africa, amounting to $\text{R}4\,400$ per person per annum.

JHB (Johannesburg)

The city identified as the unhealthiest city in South Africa.

Inactivity

A major risk factor for obesity where a lack of physical movement burns fewer calories, requiring increased exercise to burn excessive calories.

Dietary Risk Factors for Obesity

Unhealthy eating patterns that increase body fat, including high-calorie diets (especially at night) and skipping a healthy breakfast to replace it with junk fast food.

Pregnancy-Related Weight Gain

A cause of obesity where weight gained during pregnancy is retained after childbirth, accumulating across repeated pregnancies.

Sleep Deprivation and Obesity

A risk factor wherein a lack of sleep causes hormonal disturbances that increase appetite and stimulate cravings for high-calorie foods.

Medication-Induced Weight Gain

Prescription pharmaceutical agents that lead to increased body weight, including diabetes medications, steroids, beta blockers, anti-seizure medications, antipsychotic medications, and antidepressants.

Cushing Syndrome

A disease/syndrome that causes the body to store excess fat and gain weight.

Hypothyroidism

A medical condition that lowers the body's metabolic rate and reduces the quantity of calories burned each day.

Age-Related Sarcopenia and Metabolism

The progressive loss of muscle mass as an individual ages, which lowers the metabolic rate, decreases daily calorie expenditure, and causes the body to store more fat.

Sleep Apnea

A dangerous sleep disorder frequently complicating obesity in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts.

Medical Complications of Obesity

Pathological conditions linked to obesity including Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, poor wound healing, high cholesterol and triglycerides, metabolic syndrome, cancer, and depression.

Weight-Related Psychological and Social States

Quality-of-life complications associated with excess weight, specifically depression, sexual problems, social isolation, physical disability, and discomfort.

Multidisciplinary Obesity Treatment Team

A professional collaborative healthcare team formed to achieve healthy weight, consisting of a doctor, nutritionist, dietitian, obesity specialist, and nurse.

Five Core Components of an Obesity Treatment Plan

The clinical management strategies for treating obesity: dietary changes, exercise and activity, behavior change, prescription medication, and weight-loss surgery.

Dietary Management Guidelines for Obesity

Nutrition principles recommending minimally processed foods, whole grain foods, low GI foods, smaller portion sizes, limited salt, sugar, and fat intake, eating breakfast, avoiding fast food, and consuming $6$ to $8\text{ glasses}$ of water daily.

Lifestyle Recommendations for Weight Management

Habitual interventions requiring $2\frac{1}{2}$ to $5\text{ hours}$ of exercise per week, not skipping breakfast, not eating in front of the television, dishing up small portions, and preparing and adhering to a shopping list.

South African National Public Health Interventions

Structural strategies proposed to combat obesity in South Africa: advertising restrictions, improved implementation of school meals, taxation, and subsidies for healthy foods.