私醫聯招 英文歷屆試題｜第 94 題

Obesity is a common health problem. The criteria for obesity vary considerably. One simple, intermediate criterion is to classify people as obese if their weight exceeds their ideal body weight by 20%. If this criterion is used, 31% of men and 35% of women in the United States qualify as obese. Many experts prefer to assess obesity in terms of body mass index (BMI)—weight (in kilograms) divided by height (in meters) squared (kg/m²). This increasingly used index of weight controls for variations in height. A BMI of 25.0-29.9 is typically regarded as overweight, and a BMI over 30 is considered obese. Although American culture seems to be obsessed with slimness, recent surveys show surprisingly sharp increases in the incidence of obesity. If a BMI over 25 is used as the cutoff, over 50% of American adults are struggling with weight problems!

Obesity is similar to smoking in that it exerts a relatively subtle impact on health that is easy for many people to ignore. Nevertheless, the long-range effects of obesity can be quite dangerous. Obesity is a significant health problem that elevates one’s mortality risk. Overweight people are more vulnerable than others to heart diseases, diabetes, hypertension, respiratory problems, gallbladder diseases, stroke, arthritis, muscle and joint pain, and back problems.