Obesity Rates Leveling Off Among U.S. Adults

Obesity Rates Leveling Off Among U.S. Adults
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity among Americanadults hasn't increased much in recent years, but there are still far toomany adults who are overweight, a new federal study reports.
The study, based on 2005-06 data from the U.S. National Health andNutrition Examination Survey, found:
More than a third of American adults (about 72 million) were obese in2005-06. In 2005-06, 33.3 percent of men and 35.3 percent of women wereobese, compared with 31.1 percent of men and 33.2 percent of women in2003-04.Obesity prevalence was highest among adults ages 40-59. About 40percent of men in this age group were obese, compared with 28 percent ofmen ages 20-39, and 32 percent of men 60 and older. Among women, 41percent of those ages 40-59 were obese, compared with 30.5 percent amongwomen ages 20-39. The obesity rate among women 65 and older was similar tothat of women ages 20-39.Among women, there were large racial/ethnic differences in obesityrates. About 53 percent of non-Hispanic black women and 51 percent ofMexican-American women ages 40-59 were obese, compared to about 39 percentof non-Hispanic white women of the same age. Among women 60 and older, 61percent of non-Hispanic black women were obese, compared to 37 percent ofMexican-American women and 32 percent of non-Hispanic whitewomen.
Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI, a ratio of weightto height) of 30 or greater. A person 5-feet, 7-inches tall who weighs 195pounds has a BMI of 30.5
Obesity rates among American adults have increased over the past 25years, but the increases seem to have slowed in recent years, expertssay.
"Since 1999, there appears to have been a leveling off in obesity amongwomen, but the trend is less clear among men. We do know however that thegap between men and women has narrowed in recent years, with men catchingup to the higher rates among women," study lead author Cynthia Ogden, aresearcher at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said ina prepared statement.
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and KidneyDiseases has more about adult obesity.