New Framework Reclassifies Nearly 20 Percent of People as Having Obesity
WEDNESDAY, July 9, 2025 -- The European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) framework may offer a more sensitive measure of obesity than traditional body mass index (BMI), according to a study published online July 7 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Dror Dicker, M.D., from Tel Aviv University in Israel, and colleagues aimed to describe the distribution of overweight and obesity and determine the prevalence of complications and association of obesity with all-cause mortality using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2018 linked to mortality data. Obesity defined using BMI categories was compared to the new EASO definition.
The study population included 44,030 adults aged 18 to 79 years. The researchers found that 18.8 percent of adults who were previously defined as having overweight based on BMI alone were now considered persons with obesity (PWO) based on the new EASO definition. The newly identified PWO had a similar mortality risk as those with normal weight, while risk was elevated among persons with a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or higher (hazard ratio, 1.19). A higher risk was seen among the newly identified PWO compared with persons with normal weight who did not have major morbidities (hazard ratio, 1.50), although this higher risk was no greater than that seen among persons with normal weight and comorbidities (hazard ratio, 1.74). Compared with persons with overweight according to the new EASO framework and the traditional BMI definition, excess mortality risk was seen among PWO.
"The new EASO framework may provide a more sensitive tool to diagnose obesity than the traditional BMI definition, but whether these newly identified adults with obesity would benefit comparably to obesity treatment as those traditionally included in treatment trials is uncertain," the authors write.
Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Read this next
Cancer Survival Lower in Rural Areas
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 1, 2025 -- Five-year cancer survival rates for each stage of cancer (localized, regional, and distant) is lower in nonmetropolitan areas for Black and White...
Metabolic Surgery Has Greater Long-Term Benefits Than GLP-1 Receptor Agonists
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 1, 2025 -- People with obesity and type 2 diabetes who undergo metabolic surgery live longer and face fewer serious health problems compared with patients treated...
Loss of Smell May Linger After COVID-19
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 1, 2025 -- Self-reported change or loss in smell or taste is an accurate signal of verified hyposmia after COVID-19, although there is also a high rate of hyposmia...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.