Obesity and Overweight Overweight and obesity mean that a person is in a weight range, given his or her height, that can cause health problems. Obesity causes even greater health risks than being overweight. The NICHD is one of many federal agencies and NIH Institutes working to understand overweight and obesity. The NICHD supports and conducts research on the causes of excess weight, how to prevent and treat obesity, and related topics, including conditions caused by obesity. What are obesity, overweight, and body composition? Body composition is a term that describes how much of a person’s body is made up of bone, fat, water, and other substances. “Overweight” and “obesity” both mean that a person is at an unhealthy weight. An obese person has too much body fat. An overweight person weighs too much, but the extra weight may come from muscle, bone, body water, and/or fat.1 Health care providers often use body mass index (BMI) to determine if a person is overweight or obese. Adults who have a BMI between 25 and 29.9 are generally considered overweight. Adults who have a BMI of 30 or higher are considered obese.2 A child’s weight status is determined using a special chart that…
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