BMI is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by the height in meters squared. Obesity-related illnesses kill more than 300,000 Americans annually and is the second leading cause of preventable death after smoking, according to the American Obesity Assn. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine Oct. 7 found that overweight Americans faced a higher rate of premature death, with the risk rising when the BMI hits 25. The strongest link was between excess weight and death from cancer and cardiovascular disease. But patients often fail to see the connection between statistics and their own personal health status.
Many people consider excess weight to be only an issue of cosmetics.
They are in denial about the seriousness of the problem. Although communication is lacking on both sides of the doctor-patient equation, the survey found that it's doctors who most often fail to broach the subject of weight loss. And even when they do, doctors often don't recommend comprehensive treatment programs involving diet, exercise, behavioral modification and medication, when necessary. Paul Spilseth, MD, a Minnesota family physician, uses a computer program to calculate a BMI score for each of his patients, but he's careful in selecting who he counsels about weight loss. They already know that.