Question: OBESITY IN AMERICA The body mass index (BMI) measures body weight in relation to height. A BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight, a BMI of 30 or more is considered obese, and a BMI of 40 or more is morbidly obese. The percentage of the U.S. population that is obese is approximated by the function
P(t) = 0.0004t3 + 0.0036t2 + 0.8t + 12 (0 ≤ t ≤ 13)
where t is measured in years, with t 0 corresponding to the beginning of 1991.
a. What percentage of the U.S. population was deemed obese at the beginning of 1991? At the beginning of 2004 ?
b. How fast was the percentage of the U.S. population that is deemed obese changing at the beginning of 1991? At the beginning of 2004?