3 ms·

Nitpicking is pointless here, but the phrasing was immediately confusing to me. "US Adults are 42.4% obese" leads me to believe that all US adults are 42.4% of

Nitpicking is pointless here, but the phrasing was immediately confusing to me. "US Adults are 42.4% obese" leads me to believe that all US adults are 42.4% of the way to becoming obese, where as in actuality it appears that 42.4% of US adults are obese.

sharkmerry 5y ago
the first line on the link is a little more clear > The US obesity prevalence was 42.4% in 2017 – 2018.
wccrawford 5y ago
I'm medically "obese", but nobody looking at me would say that. Whenever I tell people that I'm dieting, they're surprised and often tell me that I look good. So with the medical definition of obese not matching what peoples' eyes tell them, I'm not surprised that 42% are "obese".
- gibagger 5y ago
  In this age of normalised obesity, the idea of what an obese person looks like has also shifted. Plenty of overweight and slightly obese people would consider themselves as normal weight in countries where obesity is prevalent. And normal they are, but it's just a bad reference point.
  - wccrawford 5y ago
    My point was more about what other people perceive than what a person perceives about themselves. I agree that the perception of "normal weight" has probably changed over the years, but I think "obese" has always meant something more extreme to the layman than it has to a medical professional.
- rm445 5y ago
  Do you really think anyone reading this is going to think you're anything other than an obese person with polite friends and a mild case of self-delusion? Of course, there are many nuances. Your musculature (though surely if you were a bodybuilder you'd have said so). Your sex, both for where fat sits on your body and for social expectations. The clothes you wear. Normal human variation - if your femurs just happen to be -2 standard deviations in length, your BMI will always be higher than it would be otherwise. Someone with a BMI just into the thirties can still have a good level of walking-around fitness, look good in a shirt, etc. They wouldn't stand out in today's society. But the medical risks are still increased in a statistical sense. It being normalised may make people feel better but doesn't solve the medical issue.
  - wccrawford 5y ago
    I'm sure some people will just say "Yeah, he's a fatty that's lying to himself." Others will believe me, possibly because I can't think of any reason to lie about it. And I happen to think my legs are short for my height, and my arms are a bit long. It's worked out quite well for me. But my point was simply that the number will seem hard to believe for many people if they don't realize that the layman word "obese" means something slightly different than the medical term.
boomskats 5y ago
Yep, "42.4% of US Adults are obese" would have been a better title.

sharkmerry 5y ago

the first line on the link is a little more clear > The US obesity prevalence was 42.4% in 2017 – 2018.

wccrawford 5y ago

I'm medically "obese", but nobody looking at me would say that. Whenever I tell people that I'm dieting, they're surprised and often tell me that I look good. So with the medical definition of obese not matching what peoples' eyes tell them, I'm not surprised that 42% are "obese".

gibagger 5y ago
In this age of normalised obesity, the idea of what an obese person looks like has also shifted. Plenty of overweight and slightly obese people would consider themselves as normal weight in countries where obesity is prevalent. And normal they are, but it's just a bad reference point.
- wccrawford 5y ago
  My point was more about what other people perceive than what a person perceives about themselves. I agree that the perception of "normal weight" has probably changed over the years, but I think "obese" has always meant something more extreme to the layman than it has to a medical professional.
rm445 5y ago
Do you really think anyone reading this is going to think you're anything other than an obese person with polite friends and a mild case of self-delusion? Of course, there are many nuances. Your musculature (though surely if you were a bodybuilder you'd have said so). Your sex, both for where fat sits on your body and for social expectations. The clothes you wear. Normal human variation - if your femurs just happen to be -2 standard deviations in length, your BMI will always be higher than it would be otherwise. Someone with a BMI just into the thirties can still have a good level of walking-around fitness, look good in a shirt, etc. They wouldn't stand out in today's society. But the medical risks are still increased in a statistical sense. It being normalised may make people feel better but doesn't solve the medical issue.
- wccrawford 5y ago
  I'm sure some people will just say "Yeah, he's a fatty that's lying to himself." Others will believe me, possibly because I can't think of any reason to lie about it. And I happen to think my legs are short for my height, and my arms are a bit long. It's worked out quite well for me. But my point was simply that the number will seem hard to believe for many people if they don't realize that the layman word "obese" means something slightly different than the medical term.

boomskats 5y ago

Yep, "42.4% of US Adults are obese" would have been a better title.