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Study: Body Fat Shows Who Is Really Obese

A new study suggests that using body fat percentage instead of BMI may provide a more accurate measurement of obesity.
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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)

🎧 Listen:

πŸ“– Vocabulary:

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

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.

πŸ€” 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?

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A study from Italy many middle-aged 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 . They found that more people were obese when using body fat percentage than when using the standard BMI method. This many people might not realize they are at risk for health . BMI is a way to check if someone is a healthy by dividing their weight by their height. But BMI doesn't show the difference between fat, muscle, and bone. The suggests using body fat percentage to better find out who is at risk for obesity-related diseases. The think a BMI of 27 should be the new point to someone obese. The study's results are helpful, but more research is needed in other countries. Some think 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 to stay healthy.

πŸ’¬ Discussion Questions:

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

πŸ“–πŸ’­ Vocabulary Meanings:

Click a dot next to a word, then click the dot next to its meaning to draw a line connecting them.

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

πŸ”‘ Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did the researchers from the University of Tor Vergata in Rome study?
(a) Weight and height
(b) Waist size
(c) BMI
(d) Body fat percentage
2. What does BMI stand for?
(a) Body Muscle Indicator
(b) Body Mass Index
(c) Bone Mass Index
(d) Body Weight Measurement
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 is the only method used by doctors.
(c) It doesn't show the difference between fat, muscle, and bone.
(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) Waist size
(b) Body fat percentage
(c) Weight and height
(d) Bone density
7. What does the article say about the need for more research?
(a) The study's results are sufficient.
(b) No further research is necessary.
(c) More research is needed in other countries.
(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 help people know if they need to take steps to stay healthy.
(c) To compare different countries' obesity rates.
(d) To create a new weight loss program.

πŸ•΅οΈ True or False Questions:

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

πŸ“ Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
Check your writing now with the best free AI for English writing!

Writing Questions:

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?

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