Although height-weight charts are popular, they do not tell you how much fat you have. For instance, a muscular athlete would be overweight on a height-weight chart but lean on the basis of actual percentage body fat. A sedentary person may be considered normal on a height-weight chart but too fat when a skinfold test is used. Body fat increase in women at puberty and continues to increase in most men and women during adult life. The distribution of body fat also affects coronary artery disease risk.
Abdominal obesity carries a greater cardiovascular risk than hip and leg obesity.
For women, a ratio of less than 0.85 is desirable. An acceptable ratio for men is less than 1.0. Body fat increases when we consume more food calories than we use over a long period of time. There are rare genetic diseases that make some people more susceptible to obesity. Family history and environment both play a part in deterring who will be come obese.