Obesity questions and answers
Obesity is defined as an excessively high amount of body fat (adipose tissue) in relation to lean body mass. Obesity is associated with a substantially increased risk of a number of health conditions.
Why are we concerned about obesity?
There is evidence that obese children and adults are at greater risk of short-term and long-term health consequences.
Obese children are likely to be obese into adulthood and to have abnormal lipid profiles, impaired glucose tolerance and high blood pressure at a younger age. Obesity in children is also associated with musculoskeletal problems, asthma and psychological problems including body dissatisfaction, poor self esteem, depression and other mental health problems. Obesity is also associated with a long list of adult health conditions including Type 2 diabetes, ischaemic heart disease (IHD), stroke, several common cancers, osteoarthritis, sleep apnoea and reproductive abnormalities.
The impact of excess body weight on these diseases operates, at least in part, through its effects on insulin resistance, blood glucose, blood lipids and blood pressure. It is important to note that although BMI cut-offs have been used to define overweight and obesity, the risk of disease increases as BMI increases in all population groups, even those within the ‘normal’ range.
What causes overweight and obesity?
Overweight and obesity are the result of a positive energy balance - that is, a long term excess of energy intake (food and beverage consumption) over energy expenditure (basal metabolic rate, physical activity).
Although some people are more genetically susceptible to weight gain than others, the rapid increase in the prevalence of obesity in recent years has occurred too quickly to be explained by genetic changes and most experts believe it is due to living in an increasingly ‘obesogenic’ environment - one that promotes over-consumption of food and drinks and limits opportunities for physical activity.
How is obesity measured?
Body mass index (BMI) is a commonly used measure to classify underweight, overweight and obesity in both children and adults. BMI is a measure of weight adjusted for height and is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height in metres squared (kg/m2).
|
Classification |
BMI score (kg/m2) |
Risk of co-morbidity (multiple diseases) |
|---|---|---|
|
Underweight |
< 18.50 |
Low risk (but risk of other clinical problems increased) |
|
Normal range |
18.50–24.99 |
Average risk |
|
Overweight |
25.00–29.99 |
Increased risk |
|
Obese: Obese (class I) Obese (class II) Obese (class III) |
≥ 30.00 30.00–34.99 35.00–39.99 ≥ 40.00 |
High risk Moderate risk Severe risk Very severe risk |
For children aged 2−17 years, BMI cut-off points developed by the International Taskforce on Obesity (IOTF) are used to define thinness, overweight and obesity. The IOTF BMI cut-off points are sex and age-specific, and have been designed to coincide with the WHO BMI cut-off points for adults at age 18 years.
|
Age |
Thinness |
Overweight |
Obese |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Males |
Females |
Males |
Females |
Males |
Females |
|
2 |
15.14 |
14.83 |
18.41 |
18.02 |
20.09 |
19.81 |
|
2.5 |
14.92 |
14.63 |
18.13 |
17.76 |
19.80 |
19.55 |
|
3 |
14.74 |
14.47 |
17.89 |
17.56 |
19.57 |
19.36 |
|
3.5 |
14.57 |
14.32 |
17.69 |
17.40 |
19.39 |
19.23 |
|
4 |
14.43 |
14.19 |
17.55 |
17.28 |
19.29 |
19.15 |
|
4.5 |
14.31 |
14.06 |
17.47 |
17.19 |
19.26 |
19.12 |
|
5 |
14.21 |
13.94 |
17.42 |
17.15 |
19.30 |
19.17 |
|
5.5 |
14.13 |
13.86 |
17.45 |
17.20 |
19.47 |
19.34 |
|
6 |
14.07 |
13.82 |
17.55 |
17.34 |
19.78 |
19.65 |
|
6.5 |
14.04 |
13.85 |
17.71 |
17.53 |
20.23 |
20.08 |
|
7 |
14.04 |
13.86 |
17.92 |
17.75 |
20.63 |
20.51 |
|
7.5 |
14.08 |
13.93 |
18.16 |
18.03 |
21.09 |
21.01 |
|
8 |
14.15 |
14.02 |
18.44 |
18.35 |
21.60 |
21.57 |
|
8.5 |
14.24 |
14.14 |
18.76 |
18.69 |
22.17 |
22.18 |
|
9 |
14.35 |
14.28 |
19.10 |
19.07 |
22.77 |
22.81 |
|
9.5 |
14.49 |
14.43 |
19.46 |
19.45 |
23.39 |
23.46 |
|
10 |
14.64 |
14.61 |
19.84 |
19.86 |
24.00 |
24.11 |
|
10.5 |
14.80 |
14.81 |
20.20 |
20.29 |
24.57 |
24.77 |
|
11 |
14.97 |
15.05 |
20.55 |
20.74 |
25.10 |
25.42 |
|
11.5 |
15.16 |
15.32 |
20.89 |
21.20 |
25.58 |
26.05 |
|
12 |
15.35 |
15.62 |
21.22 |
21.68 |
26.02 |
26.67 |
|
12.5 |
15.58 |
15.93 |
21.56 |
22.14 |
26.43 |
27.24 |
|
13 |
15.84 |
16.26 |
21.91 |
22.58 |
26.84 |
27.76 |
|
13.5 |
16.12 |
16.57 |
22.27 |
22.98 |
27.25 |
28.20 |
|
14 |
16.41 |
16.88 |
22.62 |
23.34 |
27.63 |
28.57 |
|
14.5 |
16.69 |
17.18 |
22.96 |
23.66 |
27.98 |
28.87 |
|
15 |
16.98 |
17.45 |
23.29 |
23.94 |
28.30 |
29.11 |
|
15.5 |
17.26 |
17.69 |
23.60 |
24.17 |
28.60 |
29.29 |
|
16 |
17.54 |
17.91 |
23.90 |
24.37 |
28.88 |
29.43 |
|
16.5 |
17.80 |
18.09 |
24.19 |
24.54 |
29.14 |
29.56 |
|
17 |
18.05 |
18.25 |
24.46 |
24.70 |
29.41 |
29.69 |
|
17.5 |
18.28 |
18.38 |
24.73 |
24.85 |
29.70 |
29.84 |
|
18 |
18.50 |
18.50 |
25.00 |
25.00 |
30.00 |
30.00 |
Since BMI does not distinguish between weight associated with muscle and weight associated with fat, it provides only a crude measure of body fatness in individuals. If you are concerned about your BMI please see your health professional.
The above BMI cut-offs apply to all ethnic groups.
How many New Zealand adults are obese?
The 2008/09 New Zealand Adult Nutrition Survey found that over one quarter (27.8%) of adults aged 15 years and over were obese.
The 2006/07 New Zealand Health Survey found that one in twelve (8.3%) of children were obese.
Where has the latest obesity data come from?
The most recent obesity figures for adults were released in September 2011 in A Focus on Nutrition: Key findings of the 2008/09 New Zealand Adult Nutrition Survey.
The most recent obesity figures for children were released in June 2008 in A Portrait of Health: Key Results from the 2006/07 New Zealand Health Survey.
The next obesity figures for both adults and children will be released in late 2012, based on results of the 2011/12 New Zealand Health Survey.
Page last updated: 06 December 2011
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