Comprehensive Evaluation for Obesity: Beyond Body Mass Index

Abstract

Many factors contribute to the diagnosis of obesity in a patient. Anthropometric measurements, such as the waist circumference and percentage of body fat, are used in the newly released obesity algorithm to risk stratify patients. Staging methods, which use the identification of comorbidities and disease burden to assess the severity of obesity, can result in treating a patient sooner than if the traditional body mass index is used. Obesity is a growing concern in the medical field, and providing additional avenues through which to diagnose obesity and address obesity-related health risks can improve prevention efforts and lead to expedited weight management. Obesity is a growing concern in the medical field, and providing additional avenues through which to diagnose obesity and address obesity-related health risks can improve prevention efforts and lead to expedited weight management.