A startling map of obesity in America, and how is has increased exponentially in the last 20 years:
CNN’s Map of Obesity in America
Epidemiologists set the bar for obesity at a BMI of 30. BMI stands for “body mass index,” and it is a measure of divergence from optimal weight. To calculate a BMI value, you divide an individual’s weight (kg) by the square of their height (m2).(1) To put a BMI of 30 into perspective, a 5′5″ female would weigh 180lbs, and a 5′10″ male would weigh 209lbs. I gave the average heights for adult men and women in the US, but, in fact, the BMI calculation is independent of sex, body frame, musculature, etc. It is, therefore, a rather crude metric for estimating obesity rates, as the only determining factors are height and weight. I.e., you could be super jacked, but have a BMI that technically places you in the overweight range.(2) However, as the ratio of jacked:fat in America is approximately 0.0001, BMI is probably a reasonable indicator of America’s waistline, when averaged over a population.
Well enough about BMI. The bottom line is that America is getting extraordinarily fat, and the obesity epidemic is spreading … (Read the rest of this article »)