Obesity in the US on the Rise, According to BMI

It is no surprise that those living in the United States are gaining weight. But a new study shows that nearly 7 percent of adults are now considered "severely obese." This number is up significantly since 2000.

Lead author of the study, Roland Sturm, is the lead economist at RAND Corporation. He and his colleges estimate that 6.6 percent of adults in 2010 were severely obese, reflecting over 15 million people. This is up from 2000, which estimated that 3.9 percent of Americans fell into the same category.

In his report, Sturm said:

"Moderate obesity (a BMI of 30 or more) has adverse health effects, but severe obesity is in a different league. Moderate obesity increases health care costs by 20% to 30% compared to those at a healthy weight, where severe obesity more than doubles health care costs. Physician offices and hospitals require additional resources for severely obese patients, who exceed limits on standard measuring and lifting equipment and may not fit standard imaging equipment, operating tables or wheelchairs."

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BMI Not a Complete Picture

According to the BMI chart, those that rate at a BMI of 30 or more are considered obese. That translates to, on average, 30 extra pounds. Extreme obesity is considered at a BMI of 40 or more. This translates to 100 or more extra pounds. These calculations were based on the traditional BMI calculator using only height-weight ratio and did not include frame size.

Frame size calculators, such as the one that can be found at health.bizcalcs.com, used frame size indicators, such as elbow width, to determine frame size. Other ways to accurately determine body fat content is using a tool called a body fat caliper. This tool is often used by bodybuilders but can also help those trying to determine how much weight they may need to lose.

Sources:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/10/01/severely-obese-amer...
http://health.bizcalcs.com/Calculator.asp?Calc=Frame-Size-Elbow
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