When is a person obese? Q:Is a man who weighs 180 pounds obese? A:That depends whether the person is five feet tall or seven. Clearly,some accountingmust be made for height in defining obesity. 。 The canonical way to do this is calculate the body mass index or BMI: Definition 22.1 Body Mass Index:BMI=- Weight in kilograms =4.9× Weight in pounds (Height in meters)2 (Height in feet)2 A person is considered clinically obese if his or her BMI is 30 or greater. Bhattacharya,Hyde and Tu-HealthEconomicsBhattacharya, Hyde and Tu – Health Economics When is a person obese? • Q: Is a man who weighs 180 pounds obese? • A: That depends whether the person is five feet tall or seven. • Clearly, some accounting must be made for height in defining obesity. • The canonical way to do this is calculate the body mass index or BMI: • A person is considered clinically obese if his or her BMI is 30 or greater