SELF-HELP PREVENTION: OBESITY
What is it?
A condition characterized by excessive weight. It is generally accepted that the term obesity applies to people who are 30 per cent or more above their ideal weight-allowing for their frame size. About 15 per cent of 16-19-year-olds, and 54 per cent of men and 50 per cent of women aged 60-65, are thought to be overweight. Forty per cent of adult men overall and 32 per cent of adult women overall are overweight, with 6 per cent of men and 8 per cent of women truly obese.
Recent research has found that even being mildly overweight matters-it is not just the truly obese who are at risk. Weight is especially important to those with a family history of diabetes and heart disease and in those who already have high blood pressure. If you or your family have diabetes, heart disease or high blood pressure, it is especially important to watch your weight and that of your family.
Smoking is linked to weight too. Smokers tend to be less heavy than non-smokers but they are at greater health risk. Many people give up smoking and promptly put on weight but the hazards of smoking are greater than those of being overweight.
• Eating the wrong foods.
• Bad nutritional habits from the cradle.
• Too little exercise.
• Too much alcohol.
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Tags: General health
This entry was posted Filed under General health.