With this recent vote, members of the American Medical Association have now elevated the classification of obesity from an "urgent chronic condition" to a medically classified disease.  This condition now affects more than one-third of adults and 17% of children in the United States.  "Recognizing obesity as a disease will help change the way the medical community tackles this complex issue that affects approximately 1 in 3 Americans," said Dr. Patrice Harris, an AMA board member.

Obesity is defined as a body mass index above 30.  BMI a ratio of height to body weight.  You can learn more about BMI and body composition here.