ABSTRACT
Obesity is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as: ‘abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health’ (World Health Organization, 2013). It can be measured using a number of techniques, of which Body Mass Index (BMI) is the most widely used (Hu, 2008). BMI is calculated by dividing an individual’s weight (kg) by the square of their height (m), which accounts for differences in weight by height, but is unable to take into account the body composition of an individual. However, for large-scale epidemiological studies, the use of BMI is cost-effective and convenient (Hu, 2008). The WHO has published cut-off points to determine categories of BMI in order to facilitate consistent use of terms such as overweight and obese: underweight <18.5 kg/m2, normal weight 18.5 kg/m2 to 24.9 kg/m2, overweight 25 kg/m2 to 30 kg/m2 and obese >30 kg/m2 (World Health Organization, 2013).
