Injuries higher among the obese.

• Position: Body Mass Index - Brief Article

Extremely obese people are more likely than normal-weight individuals to injure themselves, contends Huiyun Xiang, an investigator with the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Columbus (Ohio) Children's Research Institute.

Overexertion and falls were the most common causes of nonfatal injuries among obese people in Xiang's study. "Obesity may limit what a person can physically do," Xiang says. "People with such limitations are often at a higher risk for injury than healthy people."

Some 51.7% of the injuries sustained by the obese and extremely obese occurred inside the home. Transportation areas, such as store parking lots, bus stations, and airports, came in a distant second...