Weight-Loss Surgery Overview
Obesity: A Disease
Obesity is emerging as a health epidemic around the world. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity is rapidly spreading across all regions and demographic groups. The 2004 obesity rate stands at a startling 23% of the Canadian population.1 Obesity among adults in Canada has nearly doubled since 1980, while the number of overweight adolescents has nearly tripled.
Obesity is an excess of total body fat, which results from caloric intake that exceeds energy usage. A measurement used to assess health risks of obesity is Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is calculated by dividing body weight (lbs.) by height in inches squared (in2) and multiplying that amount by 703. The metric calculation for BMI is kg/m2.
