Daijiworld Media Network - New York

New York, Jul 28: A sweeping international study has raised alarms over a proposed shift in obesity criteria that could significantly reduce the number of individuals classified as obese—potentially hampering early detection and prevention of related health issues.

Published in PLOS Global Public Health, the study analyzed health data from 56 countries, covering 142,250 adults, to evaluate how obesity prevalence would change under a new definition. The proposed criteria would require the presence of at least one existing health condition—such as diabetes, hypertension, or high cholesterol—before a person is labeled clinically obese.

Currently, obesity is primarily defined using Body Mass Index (BMI) thresholds. The new approach, however, links obesity diagnosis directly to existing comorbidities, effectively narrowing the scope of who qualifies for intervention.

“Obesity is a serious problem, and the definitions we use have broad implications—from clinical treatment to personal health awareness,” said lead author Rodrigo Carrillo-Larco, assistant professor at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. “We must understand how any definitional change impacts not just prevalence but prevention.”

The research was conducted by scientists from institutions including Emory University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Queensland, Zhejiang University, and two leading Peruvian universities.

Key Findings:

• Under the proposed criteria, obesity prevalence dropped dramatically in many nations, with some experiencing declines of over 50%.
• For instance, in Malawi, obesity prevalence dropped by 68% among men and 53% among women.
• However, this dramatic fall is misleading, Carrillo-Larco warned:

“At the population level, we’d expect a drop in prevalence, but that’s an artificial reduction—it doesn’t reflect an actual decrease in obesity.”

The research team emphasized that while the new criteria might better align with disease risk, they come with serious trade-offs, including:

• Reduced surveillance sensitivity
• Delayed diagnoses
• Greater inequities in health care access and intervention
• False reassurance for individuals who no longer meet the updated definition, despite being at risk

The researchers urged caution before shifting from the current BMI-based classification, arguing that such a move could obscure public health trends, confuse clinical priorities, and ultimately jeopardize early intervention strategies.

As obesity continues to rise globally, the study highlights the critical need for definitions that balance clinical accuracy with public health practicality—without sidelining those who may still be at significant risk.