What Are the Latest Figures for State-Specific Prevalence of Obesity in the United States?

Abstract

In the fall of 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report on the Prevalence of Obesity Among Adults—United States, 2005 ( 1 Centers for Disease Control and PreventionState-Specific Prevalence of Obesity Among Adults—United States. 2005 Google Scholar ). This report used both the national-level data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the state-level data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), showing that the prevalence of obesity among adults has continued to increase during the past decade. The results from the survey indicated that of the adults surveyed, 60.5% were overweight, 23.9% were obese, and 3.0% were extremely obese. Obesity prevalence was 24.2% among men and 23.5% among women and ranged from 17.7% among adults aged 18 to 29 years to 29.5% among adults aged 50 to 59 years ( 1 Centers for Disease Control and PreventionState-Specific Prevalence of Obesity Among Adults—United States. 2005 Google Scholar ). In addition, only four states (Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, and Vermont) had prevalence rates lower then 20% and three states (Louisiana, Mississippi, and West Virginia) had rates of greater then 30%. One of the Healthy People 2010 objectives is to reduce the prevalence of obesity among adults in the United States to 15% ( 2 Healthy People 2010, Objective 19-02: Reduce the proportion of adults who are obese. 2006 Google Scholar ). Instead of getting closer to the Healthy People 2010 objective, the United States is moving further away from the 15%. To reverse this trend of increased prevalence in obesity, a sustained and effective public health response is needed. Registered dietitians are the primary nutrition practice professionals and, as such, have a responsibility to exert leadership to reduce the prevalence of obesity ( 3 American Dietetic AssociationWeight Management Position Paper. 2006 Google Scholar ). We can advocate public policies to support programs directed at improving environmental factors, increasing awareness, and changing behaviors to increase physical activity and decrease calorie intake, all of which are essential in trying to meet the Healthy People 2010 objective. This article was written by Wendy Marcason, RD, of the American Dietetic Association’s Knowledge Center Team in Chicago, IL. ADA members can contact the Knowledge Center