Obesity is measured by the Body Mass Index, a calculation which relates weight to height. The National Institutes of Health have published the following BMI guidelines:
Normal (healthy weight-to-height ratio): Up to 25
Overweight: 25-29.9
Obese: 30-34.9
Severely Obese: 35-39.9
Morbidly Obese: 40 and up (or 100 lbs. overweight)
Use our BMI calculator to the right to determine your own classification. Each higher degree of obesity yields an increased risk of physical, mental, and social disability. A BMI of 30 or more indicates a doubled risk of death, while a BMI of 40 or more indicated 4 times the normal risk level.
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