Morbid obesity a growing problem
Extreme obesity has increased to the point that people are losing sight of what a normal weight is, according to reports in the Fairfax Media.
Journalist Amy Corderoy reported on a study led by Deakin University's Associate Professor Julie Pasco.
The focus on general obesity rates masked the rises in the most extreme forms of obesity, Associate Professor Pasco wrote in the journal BMC Public Health.
Morbid obesity is defined as a body mass index of 40 or higher, and is linked to far higher risks of diabetes, cancer and heart disease. (Body mass is your weight divided by your height squared.)
The study found overall obesity levels had risen 30 per cent in what doctors say is part of a nationwide shift towards weight gain.
Fairfax media article
- Morbid obesity is defined as a body mass index of 40 or higher, and is linked to far higher risks of diabetes, cancer and heart disease. (Body mass is your weight divided by your height squared.)
