Obesity Defined

The first initiative undertaken in the Care Continuum Alliance Obesity with Comorbidities project was to define the term "obesity" for consistent usage within the population health improvement community for the purposes of population-based interventions. While substantial work has been done to clinically define obesity, this new definition targeted toward population health management was released in May 2006 and combines the traditional assessment of obesity based upon body mass index (BMI) with more recent consensus on the relevance of waist circumference. The Care Continuum Alliance definition reads:

Obesity: The most widely used metric for identifying obesity is having a BMI greater than 30. Waist circumference is also being recognized as an important factor in assessing obesity. Men with a waist circumference of 40 inches or greater, and women with a waist circumference of 35 inches or greater, are considered obese.

Building off that definition, Obesity with Associated Comorbidities was formally defined:

Obesity with Associated Comorbidities: Higher body weights are associated with an increase in mortality from all causes. Obese individuals with comorbidities are those who are at the highest risk because they tend to have multiple risk factors. Being overweight or obese substantially increases the risk of chronic conditions and illnesses such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis and sleep apnea and respiratory problems, as well as cancers of the endometrium, breast, prostate and colon.

Related Resources

• Read the full Obesity with Comorbidities Definition and additional background information >>
• Childhood Obesity (Mayo Clinic) >>
• Purchase the Care Continuum Alliance Dictionary of Disease Management Terminology >>