What Are Body Fatness?

Grier, T., Canham-Chervak, M., Sharp, M., & Jones, B. H. (2015). Does body mass index

The Army’s circumference measuring is the only way authorized to determine a soldier’s body composition. For males it is used by measuring the circumference of the neck and waist and for females it is the waist, neck and hips. Based on soldiers’ height and age their body composition is calculated and compared to a predetermined chart. Many service members including leaders disagree with this method of determining body composition stating it is outdated and inaccurate; however, there are many benefits to using this method as well. This method is beneficial being in the military because it is cost effective, easy to administer, and the least time consuming of most of the other options out there. This way of measuring can be considered inaccurate. It does not directly reflect the body composition of the person being measured especially for individuals who participate in

Obesity rates are soaring throughout North America (What Is Obesity?, 2013). With obesity reaching almost epidemic proportions in the United States, and the threat of a global epidemic, we must watch this alarming increase carefully ( Health Risks of Obesity, 2013). Obesity is defined as: "…an excess of adipose tissue…" (A Report of the Surgeon General, 2014). The two most common measures of obesity are Body Mass Index (BMI is a ratio of weight to height) and relative weight index, such as percent desirable weight (Body Mass Index , 2013). BMI is the most frequently used measure of obesity as it has a strong correlation with more direct measures of adiposity, such as underwater weighing (A Report of the Surgeon General, 2013). Some

In adults the body mass index or BMI is used to calculate a person’s body fat by using the weight and height of the adult. In children, the BMI method is also used to find out a child’s body fat and to determine if a child is obese. But since a child’s body fat can change as they age there are other things that are took into account when determining if a child is obese. When a doctor is looks at a child’s BMI he also must take into account the gender of the child because girls and boys body fat differs. Also the doctor must look at the age of the child because they amount of body fat a child has changes as they grow. Therefore, a doctor with take the BMI of child and compare it with other children their age and gender based on a national standard scale. When a child is in the ninety-fifth percentile or above on the BMI growth chart for their gender and age then a doctor will diagnose the child as obese (Bernstein, 2014).

While slim-body standards have spread worldwide in the last numerous decades, we know moderately little of any coexisting spread of fat stigmatizing beliefs. Given the new shared ideas about fat bodies, a globalization of body norms and fat stigma, not just of obesity itself, appears to be well under way. That has the potential to make others prejudice and suffer due to the wrong idea of being overweight. The way we look at ourselves is not always the way others should, every individual person should be healthy and happy. No one should decide how a person should look if they are on the healthy and nutritious path. (Brewis, A., Wutich, A., Falletta-Cowden, A., & Rodriguez-Soto, I. 2011)

It is also important to note that, “not all body fat, such as intra-abdominal and intramuscular fat, is accessible to the calipers, and the distribution of subcutaneous fat can vary significantly throughout the human body” (14). While skinfold and BMI tests are easily attainable, they do not provide the accuracy needed to determine definite overweight or obesity. They are, however, a relatively good indicator of whether or not an individual should lose weight, and are still used in doctors’ offices around the world.

“Weight gain in adults is associated with an increase in absolute and percent fat mass. A lean body mass decrease’s with

conducted a cross sectional study on 107 subjects aged 6-12 years using BMI and the Dual energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA). The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the skeletal maturation through the cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) and dental age, in normal weight, pre-obese and obese patients, using the BMI and DXA scan. According to them, with increase of the fat mass -as seen by DXA- the skeletal-dental age is greater than the chronological age. The difference between chronological age and skeletal-dental age, in fact, is statistically significant for pre-obese and obese. The same trend was seen with BMI, however, it was not statistically significant as seen with DXA (Costacurta et al.,

Obesity does not discriminate, it is a condition that effects all genders, races, ethnicities, and ages. Across the United States millions of people suffer from health issues related to poor nutrition, a lack of exercise, and excessive weight gain. These problems can be remedied or avoided with a proper diet and exercise to reduce body fat, eliminate chronic illness risk factors, and improve quality of life. With extreme obesity comes an increased risk of insulin resistance, heart disease, and some cancers. When a person’s body mass index (BMI) is between 30-39.9 they fall into the category of obese, any BMI over 39.9 is considered extreme obesity. This method for calculating an ideal body weight based on height can be flawed as it does not give the percentage of body fact, nor does it account for those with excessive muscle weight. Despite that fact BMI is still widely accepted throughout the nutrition community as an acceptable first step at categorizing individuals based on height and weight.

It is most commonly measured using a tool called Body Mass Index (BMI) that measures body fat of men and women based on their height and weight. To understand the reasons why prevention and treatment of obesity have become an urgent matter, it is essential to first examine the effects it has on health and whether its impact is limited to a particular area. Prevention and treatment methods will also need to be examined to understand their true potential and limits. Although obesity itself and the obesity related diseases are directly linked to a poorer quality of life, it has a far more dramatic impact on individuals. According to Allende and Rayner (2007), obesity

BMI is a test that measures body fat based on height and weight. Testing body mass index, it is crucial to detect metabolic syndromes and diabetes that are main causes of muscles’ atrophy. In 2004, researchers determined how many individuals had died from natural causes and correlated it with their muscle mass index (Schmidt 2014). Referring to the article “Built Lean” the ideal body fat percentage based on physical description, it is an average of 18-24 % of essential fat for men and a range between 25-31% for women. As the article present, the percentage of women it is higher than men this is due to the differences physiological characteristics. Furthermore, women need a greater body fat because of ovulation.

Standardized questionnaire, physical examination, and laboratory tests were included in this survey. Specially trained doctors and nurses performed all data collections. A face-to-face interview was conducted to collect demographic (e.g. age and gender) and clinical data (e.g. smoking status, alcohol consumption level, exercise habits, history of diabetes mellitus, history of hypertension and use of antihypertensive drugs) by self-reporting, standardized questionnaires. As in our previous study, physical examinations involved assessments of height, weight, and waist circumference 11-12-. BMI was calculated using the following formula: weight/height2 (kg/m2). Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), fasting serum total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein

Being obese may be hazardous to your healthy and risk furthermore increases when fat is accumulated in the abdomen section as it is detrimental to organ systems of the body. Visceral fat surrounds and pillows organs and leads to metabolic disturbances such as Type 2 diabetes and breast cancer in women. Fat can end up being distributed in the body as a shape of a pear with fat accumulating on the thighs and buttocks or along the abdomen creating an apple shape in a person. The location of the fat distribution is influenced by both genetics and hormones. Visceral fat around the organs can be reduced with low caloric intake and low-fat diet combined with increased cardiovascular exercise. Subcutaneous fat that you can squeeze and pinch is

While America is screaming in terror from a handful of Ebola cases within the borders, few Americans have yet to bat an eye at the disease that has overtaken more than a third of the country. In 1980, roughly thirteen percent of the American population suffered from the malady, but by 2008, more than thirty-four percent of the country were found fighting for their lives against this disease(AMA). What is this frightening bug? It’s not a virus; it is obesity.

Obesity is when a person has accumulated excess amount of fat to the point that it is affecting their health (WHO, 2015). WHO (2015) defines an adult with BMI greater than 25 as overweight and 30 above as obese. However, it is argued that BMI is not 100% reliable because it does not distinguish between body fat and muscle mass (National Obesity Observatory, 2009). For instance, a body builder with BMI 40 is classed as obese but this can be inaccurate as his weight has higher percentage of muscles mass than body fat. Therefore, measures i.e. waist, hip circumference, skin fold thickness and body fat ratio should be used for better indication of fatness (NOO, 2009). The prevalence of obesity is rising rapidly with England being the highest obesity rate in Europe (Public Health England, 2016). According to the HSE (2014), 24% men and 25% women are obese while 42% men and 32% women are overweight (Health and Social Care Information Centre, 2014).