THE PREVALENCE OF OBESITY IN THE CZECH POPULATION ACCORDING TO DIFFERENT NORMATIVE CRITERIA
Abstract
Accurate assessment of obesity depends on the accurate measurement of body fat. However, in praxis, we often use simple anthropometric indices. The main objective of this study is the comparison of the obesity rate expressed by anthropometric indices (BMI, waist/hip ratio - WHR) with the expression in %body fat in different age and gender groups of the Czech population. Indicators of obesity were investigated in a sample of 569 subjects (273 men, 296 women), divided into 6 age categories. According to measured values of % body fat, 19.8% of Czech men and 43.6% of women fall into the obese category. If we set the criterion for obesity at BMI 25 kg/m2, then the obese category includes 52% men and 38.2% women. Based on the WHR, we can say that 37.4% men and 56.1% women fall into the category of obese people. All the used indicators of obesity demonstrate the fact that the percentage of obese persons in the Czech population is high and increases with age. The results differ markedly in dependence on the used methods.
