A study from Italy says many middle-aged people might not know they are obese. Researchers from the University of Tor Vergata in Rome looked at body fat percentage instead of just weight and height. They found that more people were obese when using body fat percentage than when using the standard BMI method. This means many people might not realize they are at risk for health problems.

BMI is a way to check if someone is a healthy weight by dividing their weight by their height. But BMI doesn’t show the difference between fat, muscle, and bone. The study suggests using body fat percentage to better find out who is at risk for obesity-related diseases. The researchers think a BMI of 27 should be the new point to call someone obese.

The study’s results are helpful, but more research is needed in other countries. Some experts think using waist size and other signs of extra weight might be better than just BMI. Finding the best way to check for obesity is still ongoing. This will help people know if they need to take steps to stay healthy.

Original news source: Millions more middle-aged are obese, study suggests (BBC)

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Write different words related to the article on slips of paper and put them in a bowl. One student from each team comes to the front and chooses a word from the bowl. They must then act out the word without speaking, and their team has to guess what word they are acting out. The team with the most correct guesses wins.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a list of statements related to the article, such as “BMI is an accurate way to measure obesity” or “Using body fat percentage is a better indicator of obesity than BMI.” Each student in the group should take turns expressing their opinion on each statement, and the group should discuss and come to a consensus. Afterward, each group can share their opinions with the rest of the class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write different vocabulary words from the article on slips of paper and put them in a bowl. Divide the class into pairs. One student from each pair comes to the front and chooses a word from the bowl. They must then draw a picture to represent the word, while their partner tries to guess what word it is. The pair with the most correct guesses wins.

– Headline Creation
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a headline related to the article, such as “New Study Finds Body Fat Percentage More Accurate Than BMI for Obesity.” Each group should discuss and come up with a short news article or summary to go along with the headline. Afterward, each group can take turns presenting their headline and article to the rest of the class.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: In pairs, students take turns making predictions about the future of obesity measurement and prevention. They can use phrases such as “In the future, people will use a different method than BMI to measure obesity” or “In the future, there will be more emphasis on body fat percentage.” After making a prediction, students should explain their reasoning. Encourage students to use vocabulary and ideas from the article in their predictions.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What did researchers from the University of Tor Vergata in Rome study?
2. What did the researchers use to measure obesity instead of just weight and height?
3. Did more people appear obese when using body fat percentage or BMI?
4. What does BMI stand for?
5. Why does the study suggest using body fat percentage to find out who is at risk for obesity-related diseases?
6. What do some experts think might be better than just using BMI to check for obesity?
7. Why is it important to find the best way to check for obesity?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A study from Italy (1)______ many middle-aged (2)______ might not know they are obese. Researchers from the University of Tor Vergata in Rome looked at body fat percentage instead of just weight and (3)______. They found that more people were obese when using body fat percentage than when using the standard BMI method. This (4)______ many people might not realize they are at risk for health (5)______.

BMI is a way to check if someone is a healthy (6)______ by dividing their weight by their height. But BMI doesn’t show the difference between fat, muscle, and bone. The (7)______ suggests using body fat percentage to better find out who is at risk for obesity-related diseases. The (8)______ think a BMI of 27 should be the new point to (9)______ someone obese.

The study’s results are helpful, but more research is needed in other countries. Some (10)______ think (11)______ waist size and other signs of extra weight might be better than just BMI. Finding the best way to check for obesity is still ongoing. This will help people know if they need to take (12)______ to stay healthy.
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💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is obesity?
2. How would you feel if you didn’t know you were obese?
3. Do you like to check your weight and height? Why or why not?
4. What is the difference between fat, muscle, and bone?
5. Do you think body fat percentage is a better way to check for obesity than BMI? Why or why not?
6. How would you feel if you found out you were at risk for health problems because of obesity?
7. What do you think is the best way to check for obesity?
8. Do you think it’s important for people to know if they are obese? Why or why not?
9. How can people take steps to stay healthy if they are obese?
10. What are some obesity-related diseases?
11. Do you think waist size is a good indicator of obesity? Why or why not?
12. Why do you think more research is needed to find the best way to check for obesity?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. obese
2. researchers
3. percentage
4. standard
5. realize
6. risk
7. dividing
8. muscle
9. suggests
10. diseases
11. experts
12. ongoing

Meanings:
(A) Splitting something into parts
(B) The chance of something bad happening
(C) People who study things to find out new information
(D) Continuing to happen or develop
(E) To give an idea or plan for someone to think about
(F) Very overweight
(G) The part of the body that helps you move and gives you strength
(H) People who know a lot about a certain subject
(I) Illnesses that can make you sick
(J) A usual or common way of doing something
(K) A part of a whole, shown as a number out of 100
(L) To understand or become aware of something
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🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did the researchers from the University of Tor Vergata in Rome study?
(a) Body fat percentage
(b) Weight and height
(c) Waist size
(d) BMI

2. What does BMI stand for?
(a) Body Muscle Indicator
(b) Bone Mass Index
(c) Body Weight Measurement
(d) Body Mass Index

3. What does the article suggest as a better way to determine obesity-related diseases?
(a) Weight and height
(b) Waist size
(c) BMI
(d) Body fat percentage

4. What does the article say about using BMI to determine obesity?
(a) It is the most accurate method.
(b) It doesn’t show the difference between fat, muscle, and bone.
(c) It is the only method used by doctors.
(d) It is not effective for middle-aged people.

5. What does the study suggest as the new point to call someone obese?
(a) BMI of 27
(b) BMI of 25
(c) BMI of 30
(d) BMI of 20

6. What do some experts think might be a better indicator of obesity than BMI?
(a) Body fat percentage
(b) Weight and height
(c) Waist size
(d) Bone density

7. What does the article say about the need for more research?
(a) The study’s results are sufficient.
(b) More research is needed in other countries.
(c) No further research is necessary.
(d) The study’s results are inconclusive.

8. What is the main purpose of finding the best way to check for obesity?
(a) To determine the capital of Italy.
(b) To compare different countries’ obesity rates.
(c) To help people know if they need to take steps to stay healthy.
(d) To create a new weight loss program.

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Using body fat percentage showed that fewer people were obese than using the standard BMI method.
2. The researchers looked at body fat percentage instead of just weight and height.
3. Some experts think that using waist size and other signs of extra weight might not be better than just BMI.
4. This means that many people might not realize they are at risk for health problems.
5. The study suggests that using body fat percentage is a better way to find out who is at risk for obesity-related diseases.
6. However, BMI does show the difference between fat, muscle, and bone.
7. A study from Italy found that many middle-aged people may know they are obese.
8. BMI is a way to check if someone is a healthy weight by dividing their weight by their height.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What did researchers from the University of Tor Vergata in Rome study?
2. How is body fat percentage different from BMI?
3. What does BMI stand for?
4. According to the study, what should be the new point to call someone obese?
5. Why is it important to find the best way to check for obesity?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did researchers from the University of Tor Vergata in Rome study?
The researchers from the University of Tor Vergata in Rome studied obesity in middle-aged people.

2. What did the researchers use to measure obesity instead of just weight and height?
The researchers used body fat percentage to measure obesity instead of just weight and height.

3. Did more people appear obese when using body fat percentage or BMI?
More people appeared obese when using body fat percentage.

4. What does BMI stand for?
BMI stands for Body Mass Index.

5. Why does the study suggest using body fat percentage to find out who is at risk for obesity-related diseases?
The study suggests using body fat percentage because it gives a better understanding of who is at risk for obesity-related diseases.

6. What do some experts think might be better than just using BMI to check for obesity?
Some experts think that using waist size and other signs of extra weight might be better than just using BMI to check for obesity.

7. Why is it important to find the best way to check for obesity?
It is important to find the best way to check for obesity so that people can know if they need to take steps to stay healthy.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) says
(2) people
(3) height
(4) means
(5) problems
(6) weight
(7) study
(8) researchers
(9) call
(10) experts
(11) using
(12) steps
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. obese
Answer: (F) Very overweight

2. researchers
Answer: (C) People who study things to find out new information

3. percentage
Answer: (K) A part of a whole, shown as a number out of 100

4. standard
Answer: (J) A usual or common way of doing something

5. realize
Answer: (L) To understand or become aware of something

6. risk
Answer: (B) The chance of something bad happening

7. dividing
Answer: (A) Splitting something into parts

8. muscle
Answer: (G) The part of the body that helps you move and gives you strength

9. suggests
Answer: (E) To give an idea or plan for someone to think about

10. diseases
Answer: (I) Illnesses that can make you sick

11. experts
Answer: (H) People who know a lot about a certain subject

12. ongoing
Answer: (D) Continuing to happen or develop
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did the researchers from the University of Tor Vergata in Rome study?
Answer: (a) Body fat percentage

2. What does BMI stand for?
Answer: (d) Body Mass Index

3. What does the article suggest as a better way to determine obesity-related diseases?
Answer: (d) Body fat percentage

4. What does the article say about using BMI to determine obesity?
Answer: (b) It doesn’t show the difference between fat, muscle, and bone.

5. What does the study suggest as the new point to call someone obese?
Answer: (a) BMI of 27

6. What do some experts think might be a better indicator of obesity than BMI?
Answer: (c) Waist size

7. What does the article say about the need for more research?
Answer: (b) More research is needed in other countries.

8. What is the main purpose of finding the best way to check for obesity?
Answer: (c) To help people know if they need to take steps to stay healthy.
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Using body fat percentage showed that fewer people were obese than using the standard BMI method. (Answer: False)
2. The researchers looked at body fat percentage instead of just weight and height. (Answer: True)
3. Some experts think that using waist size and other signs of extra weight might not be better than just BMI. (Answer: False)
4. This means that many people might not realize they are at risk for health problems. (Answer: True)
5. The study suggests that using body fat percentage is a better way to find out who is at risk for obesity-related diseases. (Answer: True)
6. However, BMI does show the difference between fat, muscle, and bone. (Answer: False)
7. A study from Italy found that many middle-aged people may know they are obese. (Answer: False)
8. BMI is a way to check if someone is a healthy weight by dividing their weight by their height. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧