Defining 'obesity,' 'overweight'

DEFINING "OBESITY,' "OVERWEIGHT'

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “overweight” and “obesity” are labels for ranges of weight greater than the weight generally considered healthy for a given height.

The terms also identify ranges of weight shown to increase the likelihood of certain diseases and health problems.

For adults, overweight and obesity ranges are determined by using weight and height to calculate a number called the “body mass index.”

An adult with a BMI between 25 and 29.9 is overweight, while one with a BMI of 30 or higher is obese.

Workers compensation claims where obesity is a factor are 2.8 times more expensive than nonobese claims after 12 months of maturity, but the cost difference climbs to a factor of 4.5 after three-year maturity and to 5.3 after five years, according to a Boca Raton, Fla.-based NCCI Holdings Inc. report, “Reserving in the Age of Obesity.”