China's obesity problem work group recently issued the first ever
obesity index for Chinese adults, based on data analyses in the
1990s, according to an article published on "Popular Medicine"
written by Professor Zhou Beifan with the Chinese Academy of
Medical Science.
Obesity is globally judged and diagnosed according to the Body Mass
Index (BMI) -- body weight (kilogram)/ square of body height
(meter)--recommended by the World Health Organization, but the
result was worked out on the basis of western people and therefore
not applicable to Asians.
Under the same calculating method China issued the result for its
own folks, according to which one is overweighed when his or her
body mass index surpasses or equals to 24, and obese when the index
surpasses or equals to 28. Besides, a male gets abdominal obese
when his waistline reaches or surpasses 85 cm and a female 80
cm.
Waistline is an important measurement for abdominal obesity,
because it reflects one's abdominal adiposity, which has a lot to
do with a series of metabolic disorders.
The body mass index increases along with the risks of getting
stroke and coronary heart diseases. With the index increase 2, the
risks for coronary heart diseases and stroke increase 15.4 and 6.1
percent respectively, the work group pointed out.
Once the index reaches or surpasses 24, one's more likely to have
risks for high blood pressure, diabetes and hyperlipidemia at the
same time, the possibility exceeds 90 percent when the index hits
or surpasses 28. It should also be noted that the risks rise when
one's index is within normal range but the waistline reach 80 or 85
cm. If the index is beyond normal range and waistline also passes
80 or 85 cm, the risks for diabetes and coronary heart diseases
would be extremely high.
(China
Daily June 22, 2002)