BODY MASS INDEX AND OBESITY OUTBREAK THROUGH MATHEMATICAL EPIDEMIC MODEL

This study looks at the link between individual bad practices and obesity, showing the most adequate measure for containing overweight, and its consequences. Our approach uses a mathematical model that separates the population into different classes based on their body mass index (BMI), investigating the most adequate stage to be a target in the public health intervention to contain the obesity epidemic. In terms of the dynamics of the proposed model, it is shown that this model has a threshold result with respect to the well-known epidemic factor, basic reproduction number, [Formula: see text]. Precisely, when [Formula: see text], the obesity will become extinct from the population, while for [Formula: see text], the obesity will persist in the population. Also, we ascertain the optimal proportion of the population that needs to be placed under obesity awareness to successfully halt the disease. Some numerical examples are carried out to test the efficiency of public health measures.