25 Jun Obesity, excess weight in US continue upswing

A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine shows that escalation in the number of those considered obese or overweight in the United States continues, signaling an ongoing upward swing in chronic health conditions as well.

Compared with a similar study published in 1999 that estimated 63% of men and 55% of women aged 25 and older were overweight or obese, the new data from 2007–2012 indicate that nearly 75% of men and 67% of women now are overweight or obese.

Adult Americans who are obese now outnumber those who are considered overweight, according to the new findings, which estimate that 67.6 million Americans over the age of 25 are obese and an additional 65.2 million are overweight.

In the new study, the researchers estimated the prevalence of obesity and those who are considered overweight, by gender, age, and race/ethnicity. The sample size included 15,208 men and women aged 25 and older, which is representative of more than 188 million people.

Parsing the data in the new study, the researchers found that African-Americans have the highest rates of obesity, with 39% of black men and 57% of black women considered obese.

The researchers also found that 17% of black women are extremely obese, meaning their body mass index is over 40, as are 7% of black men. Among Mexican-Americans in the study, 38% of men and 43% of women are obese. For Caucasians, 35% of men and 34% of women are obese.

JAMA Internal Medicine: Click here for the abstract