**1. Introduction**

Obesity prevalence is growing around the world, since 1975 it has increased by 300%. According to WHO, in 2016, overweight people were 2 billion and obese 650 million, meaning 39% overweight and 13% obesity around the world [1]. In 2020, worldwide, 39 million children under the age of 5 were overweight and obese and for the group between 5 and 19 years, more than 340 million children were overweight or obese [1]. In the USA, there are more recent data, from The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, evidenced by the US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics [2]. According to CDC, in the USA, in 2017–2018, the age-adjusted prevalence of obesity was 42% for adults, without significant differences between men and women. For severe obesity, age-adjusted prevalence is 9.2%, but higher in women vs. men. The age group 40–59 includes the highest prevalence of severe obesity.

#### **1.1 Health concerns associated with obesity**

Overweight and obesity represent major risks for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), linearly correlated with BMI.

• cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death, ischemic heart disease representing 16% of total mortality globally in 2019, according to WHO [1].


Children's obesity is facing breathing difficulties, hypertension, insulin resistance, higher fractures risk, and psychological effects. Moreover, childhood obesity is correlated with a higher risk of obesity, premature death, and disability in adulthood.

The double burden of malnutrition and obesity is characterizing low- and middle-income countries. Infectious diseases, together with undernutrition, are common; meanwhile, an increase in risk factors such as obesity and overweight can be seen in urban settings. Co-existing undernutrition with obesity is common in the same community, where inadequate dietary patterns combined with lower levels of physical activity have increased childhood obesity in conjunction with an unsolved undernutrition issue.

#### **2. Lifestyle medicine (LM) definition**

Described for the first time by the famous Professor James Rippe, cardiologist, in 1989, lifestyle medicine is defined as:

"The integration of lifestyle practices into the modern practice of medicine both to lower the risk factors for chronic disease and/or, if disease is already present, serve as an adjunct in its therapy. Lifestyle medicine brings together sound, scientific evidence in diverse health-related fields to assist the clinician in the process of not only treating disease, but also promoting good health" [3].

#### **3. Obesity new conceptual model**

Prof Mechanick introduced, some years ago, a conceptual model that is adiposity-based chronic disease (ABCD), with four stages. The first stage means the risk—genetics, environment, and behavior. The second is when can be noticed an increased amount of adipose tissue with abnormal distribution or function. The disease is named in the third stage, diagnosed by biochemical, anthropometrical tests, measured by body mass index. The fourth stage associates cardiometabolic and biomechanical complications. ABCD is a part of cardiometabolic chronic disease stages that develop through dysglycemia-based chronic disease (DBCD) and cardiometabolic-based chronic disease (CMBCD). This is the new frame describing all metabolic interrelations and evolution through obesity [4]. This is a more comprehensive model to define obesity and explain its treatment.

#### **4. Bioimpedance**

The use of bioimpedance to measure tissue's resistance during the passage of low-intensity electric current, based on the principle of variation of the rate of passage of electric current through the body in relation to body composition is widely used, is a good tool in clinical practice. This analysis is offering almost good data about body composition and may be a good tracker of treatment performances [5].

*Lifestyle Factors and Obesity DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.100254*


**Table 1.**

*Abdominal obesity classification, adapted after [6].*
