Obesity: Its Status as a Disease

Abstract Is obesity a disease? Yes, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other authoritative institutions say so, is the standard answer. However, by investigating these sources and some standard definitions of disease, the answer becomes much less obvious. According to naturalist and hybrid definitions of disease, obesity does not qualify as a disease, but according to several normativist conceptions of disease, it does. This undecidedness gives leeway for a wide range of pragmatic arguments for and against making obesity a disease. Using social conceptions of disease to make obesity a disease calls for careful reflection, as they may be based on contested aesthetic, moral and other social norms. History is full of examples where socially defined diseases later have been heavily criticised. Homosexuality, dissidency, drapetomania and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are some examples. Key Concepts Obesity is acknowledged as a disease by a wide range of organisations. Obesity is commonly defined by having a body mass index (BMI) over 30. Disease is defined as naturalistic, normativistic, or hybrid concepts. The reasons for making obesity a disease are pragmatic and not principled. It is easier to argue that obesity is a disease from normativist than from naturalist conceptions of disease. Until more facts are available, and a wide range of key issues are solved, obesity's status as a disease remains speculative.