A proposed clinical staging system for obesity.

Present classifications of obesity based on body mass index, waist circumference and other anthropometric measures have important limitations when applied to individuals in clinical practice. These mesures fail to provide information on presence or extent of comorbidities or functional limitations that would guide decision making in individuals.

Dr. A M Sharma, a canadian Physician who has devised this study says,

Basically this is a five stage system that outlines five levels or grades of obesity and which treatments might be pursued at each level. However, the levels are not determined by weight, but by whether or not certain weight-related conditions are present and the severity of those conditions.

So I think this system is pretty great and I hope it’s adopted by clinicians everywhere. I love that it focuses on actual health problems and not just on weight. I love that it suggests looking for ‘non-weight related contributors to risk factors’ instead of assuming any problem is caused by weight.

The present study is published in Int J Obes (Lond). 2009 Mar;33(3):289-95. Epub 2009 Feb 3.

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