Obesity is a complex disease that involves excessive body fat and it increases the risk for other diseases like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer. Obesity is generally caused due to excessive eating, and limited movement.
‘The risk of gaining weight is highest among youngsters and it steadily decreases with age.’
Researchers found out that the individuals aged between 18 and 24 were four times more likely to become obese over a decade than those who aged 65 to 74. Youngsters classed as obese or overweight move to higher BMI (body mass index) category than those who are classed overweight in other age group.
A public online tool was provided to calculate the risk of weight change over the next 1, 5, and 10 years based on their present weight, height, sex, ethnicity, and socioeconomic characteristics.
“Our results show clearly that age is the most important sociodemographic factor for BMI change. Young people aged 18 to 24 have the highest risk of BMI gain, compared to older people. We also found that among individuals with obesity, those aged between 35 and 54 had the highest risk of not losing weight compared to other adults.” Says Dr. Michail Katsoulis – lead author.
Scientists say that young people go through a major life change like going to university or leave home for work. The habits they cultivate will be there throughout their adulthood. Healthy lifestyle should be followed in order to prevent obesity.
The results of the study showed
The risk of moving to higher BMI over 10 years were 4-6 times higher in youngsters than older people.
The transition from normal weight to overweight was 4.2 times more in young adults
Professor Hemingway says that “Health systems, like the NHS, need to identify new ways to prevent obesity and its consequences. This study demonstrates that NHS data collected over time in primary care holds an important key to unlocking new insights for public health action.”
Source: Medindia
