Adult obesity (i07)

Definition: obesity corresponds to a body mass index higher than or equal to 30. This indicator corresponds to the share of obese people in the adult population (aged 18 years and over). The body mass index (or BMI) is an anthropometric measurement that is calculated as the relationship between the weight in kilograms and the square of the body height in meters. The BMI is correlated with the body fat percentage of an adult (Eurostat, 2008). Obese people run a higher risk of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and certain forms of cancer (WHO, 2015). The data come from the national health surveys carried out by the Scientific Institute of Public Health/Sciensano for Belgium and from Eurostat for the other European countries. Since these data are based on a survey, a margin of uncertainty has to be taken into account. This margin of uncertainty increases as the indicator is calculated on smaller sub-populations. The confidence intervals are available on the Sciensano website.