Obesity in Idaho
According to the Department of Health and Welfare in Idaho:
"Weight management, weight loss, and the increase in overweight and obesity are a primary health concerns for adults, children, and youth in the United States. Chances are, you know someone who is struggling with these issues since 62% of adult Idahoans are either overweight or obese.”
A 2008-09 school year BMI assessment of Idaho students in all odd grades 1 through 11 found that overall, 30.5% of the Idaho school children in the sample were classified as overweight or obese. The study found that significantly more boys were obese than girls.
The Issue
Overweight individuals suffer more health problems than those who maintain normal weight. The rise in obesity rates is a cause of great concern because of the many adverse health conditions and chronic diseases it contributes to.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes are the most prevalent, costly and avoidable of all health problems.
What is BMI?
Who is most at risk though? Those with higher levels of body mass index (BMI).
Body mass index is a scientific way of measuring and seeing if an adult or child is underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese. It’s looked at as the height-weight ratio tool, with some variance on age and gender, especially for children.
Finding a weight that works for every person is a very difficult task to do because every person is very different. BMI tests help give an idea on weight health, but other health factors can’t be found though this measurement alone. So it’s still important for children and adults to go into a doctor or healthcare professional to fit their needs and to get a consistent check up.
Calculate Your Teen or Adolescence’s BMI Percentile:
Just a reminder, this should not be used as a diagnostic tool, you should always see a doctor or another health care professional to evaluate your health. A health care provider would also need to investigate further to get a true diagnostic if you or your child have questions. Talk to your health care provider for more information.