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Overweight and obesity are defined as having a body mass index [BMI] greater than or equal to 25 and 30, respectively. In children, the BMI is based on growth charts.

Being overweight and obese occur when calorie intake is consistently greater than the number of calories burned through activity and basic metabolic processes.

Several factors can influence obesity, including:

• Poor eating habits
• Low activity level
• Genetic factors
• Biologic factors (eg, amount and activity of certain chemicals in the body)
• Medications (eg, corticosteroids, antidepressants, and antipsychotics)
• Underactive thyroid
• Cushing's disease
• Polycystic ovary syndrome
• Froehlich's syndrome
• Prader-Willi syndrome
• Laurence-Moon-Biedl syndrome

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are 1.6 billion overweight adults and more than 400 million obese adults worldwide. And these numbers are expected to rise. In the US, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey reports that an estimated 66% of adults are either overweight or obese.

American children and teens are also affected. An estimated 32% of children and young adults aged 2-19 are either overweight or obese, and there is some evidence that being overweight or obese at late adolescent may shorten life expectancy as an adult. Researchers have also found that people with a high waist circumference or waist-to-hip ratio have an increased risk of death.

Other complications of untreated obesity include:

• Decreased energy
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• High blood pressure during pregnancy
• Type 2 diabetes
• Gallstones
• Worsening arthritis symptoms
• Joint problems
• Increased risk of certain cancers
• Gout
• Infertility
• Sleep apnea
• Poor self-image, depression
• Urinary incontinence