Obesity rates in the United States continue to rise despite national efforts to promote healthy lifestyles and diets. According to a new survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published on Thursday, obesity rates climbed to almost 38% for adults in 2013-2014, up from about 32% a decade ago. “This is a striking finding” and suggests that a situation that was thought to be stable is getting worse, said Dr. William Dietz, an obesity expert at George Washington University. The report found that the prevalence of obesity was significantly higher in women (38.3%) than in men (34.3%). Obesity rates for men and women had been roughly the same for about a decade. “That’s kind of a new finding,” said the report’s lead author, Cynthia L. Ogden. “Now, what’s happened is prevalence in women has gone above what it was in men again.” The most striking levels of obesity were found among ethnic minorities. About 57% of black women were obese from 2011 to 2014, followed by Hispanic women at 46% and Hispanic men at 39%. The prevalence of obesity was lowest among Asians, who had a combined rate of about 12%. The good news is that obesity among children at least remained unchanged in 2013 and 2014 – 17% of U.S. Americans aged 2 to 19 were obese, the same as in 2003 and 2004. The new figures comes after years of anti-obesity campaigns to encourage healthy eating and physical activity. The numbers are from a regular government survey with about 5,000 participants that is released every two years and in which participants are actually weighed. Obesity in adults was defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) of greater than or equal to 30, a indicator defined as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in metres. (ab)
- The New York Times: Obesity Rises Despite All Efforts to Fight It, U.S. Health Officials Say
- Associated Press: Obesity still rising among US adults, women overtake men
- NCHS Data Brief: Prevalence of Obesity Among Adults and Youth: United States, 2011–2014
- BBC News: US obesity rates ‘rising for first time since 2004’