WiRED Releases Module on Overweight and Obesity

WiRED Releases Module on Overweight and Obesity

Obesity is on the Rise Worldwide

By Allison Kozicharow; Edited by Jessie Crowdy

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity has nearly tripled globally since 1975. Except for a few medical conditions, overweight and obesity are preventable and result from poor eating habits, unhealthy body fat distribution and lack of physical activity.

WiRED International now offers a module on overweight and obesity. WiRED’s health education course defines these conditions and their signs, causes, health consequences, genetic, behavioral and risk factors, in addition to treatment.

WiRED’s module also features an interactive BMI calculator, which makes it easy and instructive to learn your score. BMI stands for body mass index, a common method used to classify overweight and obesity in adults. (Age is a factor in calculating a child’s BMI.) BMI is defined as a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters (kg/m2). WHO defines overweight as a BMI greater than or equal to 25 and obesity as a BMI greater than or equal to 30.

Overweight and obesity are preventable by incorporating these healthy lifestyle steps:

• Limit energy intake from saturated or trans fats and sugars.
• Increase consumption of fruit and vegetables, as well as legumes, whole grains and nuts.
• Engage in regular physical activity (60 minutes a day for children and 150 minutes spread throughout the week for adults).

Everyone deserves a healthy lifestyle. Yet WHO reports that many low and middle-income countries are facing a double burden of undernutrition and obesity — all the while dealing with infectious diseases and inadequate health care, especially for children who are exposed to high-fat, high-sugar, high-salt, nutrition-poor foods and lack sufficient physical activity.

Learn more about overweight and obesity through WiRED’s newest module.