ABSTRACT
Obesity has long been recognized as a global health concern, be it among adults, adolescents, or children, of both sexes. Over the past three decades, the prevalence of overweight and obese adults has more than doubled, with over a third of women aged 20 years and above being overweight and 14% obese. 1 According to the latest data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OCED), more than half of the adult population in 20 out of 34 OECD countries are overweight or obese. 2 The World Health organization (WHO) and the National Institute for Health (NIH) define overweight as a body mass index (BMI) of 25–29.9 and obesity as a BMI of 30 or greater. Obesity is also subcategorized into three subgroups: class I (BMI of 30–34.9), class II (BMI of 35–39.9), and class III (BMI of 40 or greater). 3
