ASSESSMENT OF OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE PATIENTS

The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United Stat es has significant impact on the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment skill requirements of clinicians. There are a number of parameters tha t are used in the appropriate assessment of overweight and obesity. Th ese include knowledge of basic body composition, measurement technique s for the assessment of total and regional body fat, and awareness of cultural influences on overweight and obesity. The focus of this artic le is to define overweight and obesity and delineate appropriate asses sment parameters for those conditions. Copyright (C) 1997 by W.B. Saun ders Company.