Emergency risk: Obesity

The term "obese" describes a person who is very overweight, with an excess of body fat. A common problem in the UK, it's estimated to affect one in four adults and one in five children aged 10 to 11. A person is generally considered overweight if they have a body mass index (BMI) of between 25 and 29.9 and obese with a BMI of 30 and above. A BMI in excess of 40 is classified as severe obesity. Today's obesity levels are more than three times that in 1980 and it's blamed for about 30,000 deaths a year in the UK, around 9,000 of which take place before retirement age. BMI isn't used ...