A better staging system

2 min read /

 
The traditional use of Body Mass Index (BMI) to define and stage obesity is increasingly recognised as limited, as it fails to account for individual differences in body composition and the broader health impacts of obesity. The Edmonton Obesity Staging System (EOSS) offers a more comprehensive approach, combining anthropometric measures with the presence and severity of obesity-related health complications. This system acknowledges the complex nature of obesity, providing a framework that moves beyond the simplistic categorisation based on BMI. By emphasising the importance of comorbidities, the EOSS helps guide more tailored and effective diagnostic and treatment strategies, ensuring that interventions are aligned with the specific needs and the severity of each individual’s condition.

The Edmonton Obesity Staging System:

Obesity as a Disease: A Primer on Clinical and Physiological Insights 

Resources for further reading

Below are more resources on childhood obesity:

  • Int J Obes (Lond). 2008 Dec;32(Suppl 7):S120-6. doi:10.1038/ijo.2008.247.
  • Ugeskr Laeger. 2021 Aug 2;183(31):V01210082.
  • Shah A, Davarci O, Chaftari P, Avenatti E. Obesity as a disease: A primer on clinical and physiological insights. Methodist DeBakey Cardiovasc J. 2025;21(2):4-13. doi:10.14797/mdcvj.1515.
  • Rubino F, Puhl RM, Cummings DE, Eckel RH, et al. Joint international consensus statement for ending stigma of obesity. Nat Med. 2020;26(4):485-497. doi:10.1038/s41591-020-0803-x.