Fat Camp Articles

What Is Obesity?

By Stefanie Hamilton

As concerns about childhood weight rates continue to mount, many parents are beginning to worry about their children's health. Many are concerned about childhood obesity, and want to know how to prevent it in their children or help a child who is already overweight.

But there's some confusion over the difference between "overweight" and "obese." How can a parent know if her child is obese? Where's the line between a child who is labeled overweight and one who is classified as obese?

Body Mass Index

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) defines "overweight" as a body weight that is more than 10 percent but less than 25 percent higher than the recommended weight for an individual's height, age, and body type. Recommended standards are based on body mass index (BMI) averages among the U.S. population.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) a child is considered to be obese if he has a BMI at or above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex.

BMI is calculated by multiplying a person's body weight by 703, then dividing by the person's height - in inches - squared.

Skinfold Measurements

Though BMI is the standard, its accuracy is questioned by some. The problem is that muscle weighs more than fatty tissue, so a muscular person's BMI can be high even though he's in great physical condition.

Opponents of the BMI method prefer using skinfold measurements. With skinfold techniques, skin on specific areas of the body are pinched (not hard) and then measured used a device called a caliper that measures the thickness of the pinched area or skinfold. Skinfolds are measured in millimeters added together and run through a mathematical equation that determines percentage of body fat.

Skinfold measurements can be an especially helpful tool for someone who is losing weight, as they help differentiate between loss of fat and loss of muscle.

One of the more popular methods, the Yuhasz Technique, measures skinfolds in six areas:

Regardless of what technique is used, only a medical professional can accurately determine if someone is obese. If you or someone you love has questions relating to health and weight, make an appointment for an examination and consultation with your family physician.