Maharashtra Board Class 11 Health And Physical Education Chapter 2 Obesity PDF Download

Obesity

Objectives

1. To understand the information on obesity.

2. To understand the ill effects of excess body fat.

3. To be aware of obesity measurement techniques.

4. To be informed about possible diseases caused by obesity.

5. To know about obesity prevention and remedy.

Every individual is keen on a life that is healthy and free from disease. The World Health Organization has appropriately defined health as "Health is not merely the absence of disease or disability but it is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being"

Illness or aggravation of a disorder affects the physical, mental or social aspect of the individual. Obesity is considered as disease as per guidelines and principles of health organization because it invites many other diseases.

Obesity is the abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat in the body. Obesity is a growing global issue and also in India it is increasing very largely out of these Previously, obesity was found to be higher in adults. However, in recent times, the prevalence of obesity has been increasing in all age groups. Although the World Health Organization has declared obesity to be an disease and a disability, it seems that even most educated people still fail to realize it. Though the prevalence of obesity in rural areas are found to be low due to their active lifestyle, the overuse of modern equipment's is causing the people in rural areas to become inactive and hence they are also at risk of obesity.

Common Types Of Obesity

Apple Shape, Pear Shape

Obese people have excess fat content in the body. The fat is stored more prominently in certain parts of the body. In India, obese people have a tendency to store this excess fat around their stomach and waist. In both men and women the fat is stored in different parts of the body and obesity in the individual can be identified based on it.

Teacher's Note

Obesity means having too much fat in the body. In India, many children are becoming fat because they eat too much junk food and play video games all day instead of playing outside.

Exam Trick

Remember: Apple Shape = fat around stomach. Pear Shape = fat around hips. Just think of the shape of the fruit!

Points to Remember

Obesity is when the body has too much fat.
It is a real disease that can make you sick.
Fat is stored in different places in different people.
Apple shape = stomach. Pear shape = hips.
Active lifestyle helps prevent obesity.

Techniques of Measuring Obesity

There are different techniques developed to measure obesity. In this Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist to Hip Ratio (WHR), Skin-fold thickness, Fat percentage and other such measurements are used. Body mass index is the most prevalent out of these.

The World Health Organization has laid the criteria to categorise individuals as obese using BMI (Body Mass Index) and WHR (Waist to Hip ratio). BMI is the measurement of a person's weight with respect to the height. It is expected that as height increases weight also increases but it should be in proportion.

A) Waist to Hip Ratio

W.H.R. = \(\frac{\text{Waist circumference (cm)}}{\text{Hip circumference (cm)}}\)

In men, this ratio should not be more than 1 and in women it should not be more than 0.85. You can find your WHR from the above mathematical formula.

2. Body Mass Index

Obesity means 30% excess weight than height. We must understand what is body mass index to assess whether our weight is appropriate or not. It is not possible to differentiate amount of muscles or amount of fat from BMI and this could be called as limitations. For example many a times an athlete has excellent fitness but because of his body structure he may have high BMI, still he can not be called obese. That is why BMI is general measure. The weight is measured in kilograms and the height in meters. The weight is divided by the square of the height, to get the BMI.

BMI = \(\frac{\text{Weight (Kg)}}{\text{Height (M)}^2}\)

Teacher's Note

BMI helps us know if we are at a healthy weight. It is like a report card for your body. Doctors in India use BMI to check if children are growing properly.

Exam Trick

Remember: BMI = Weight divided by Height squared. The formula is Weight/Height². Just use a calculator and it is easy!

Points to Remember

BMI tells you if your weight is healthy.
BMI uses weight in kilograms and height in meters.
Weight is divided by the square of height.
Athletes can have high BMI but still be fit.
BMI cannot tell the difference between muscle and fat.

The World Health Organization have made the following criteria available to interpret BMI.

Various techniques for measuring fat content

It is important to be aware of the fat percentage in the body weight of an individual. There are various scientific methods available to measure fat content.

1. Skin fold callipers can be used to measure fat in three to seven areas of the body. It is a simple and inexpensive method. Accuracy while measuring the skin fold is improper.

2. By Measuring the circumference of certain body parts is another simple method to estimate body fat.

3. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometery (Dexa) scan can measure fat content accurately.

4. Hydrostatic weighing in this density is measured by weighing under water. This method is accurate but not easily available.

5. Bioelectrical Impedance this is one of the fast and easy method, now a days there are many machines based on this principles are available. E.g. Fat Monitors.

Teacher's Note

There are many ways to measure fat in the body. The simple way is to measure your waist and hip with a measuring tape. The difficult ways need expensive machines in hospitals.

Exam Trick

Remember: Skin fold test is cheap and easy. DEXA scan is expensive and accurate. Bioelectrical Impedance is like the fat monitors you see in malls.

Points to Remember

Skin fold callipers measure fat at seven body parts.
Measuring body parts is a simple and cheap method.
DEXA scan is very accurate but very expensive.
Hydrostatic weighing is accurate but hard to find.
Fat monitors use bioelectrical impedance method.

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