• 61% of adults in the United States were overweight or obese in 1999.
• 13% of children aged 6 to 11 years and 14% of adolescents aged 12 to 19 years were overweight in 1999. This prevalence has nearly tripled for adolescents in the past 2 decades.
• The increases in overweight and obesity cut across all ages, racial and ethnic groups, and both genders.
• 300,000 deaths each year in the United States are associated with obesity.
• Overweight and obesity are associated with heart disease, certain types of cancer, type 2 diabetes, stroke, arthritis, breathing problems, and psychological disorders, such as depression.
• The economic cost of obesity in the United States was about $117 billion in 2000.
The Surgeon General's
Site on Obesity
The Surgeon General's Report on Obesity
Health problems resulting from overweight and obesity could reverse many of the health gains achieved in the U.S. in recent decades, according to a Surgeon General's report.
"Overweight and obesity may soon cause as much preventable disease and death as cigarette smoking," Surgeon General David Satcher said.
Obesity among adults has doubled since 1980, while overweight among adolescents has tripled. Only 3% of all Americans meet at least four of the five federal Food Guide Pyramid recommendations for the intake of grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and meats. And less than one-third of Americans meet the federal recommendations to engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity at least five days a week, while 40 percent of adults engage in no leisure-time physical activity at all.
Who is most at risk
While the prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased for both genders and across all races, ethnic and age groups, disparities exist. In women, overweight and obesity are higher among members of racial and ethnic minority populations than in non-Hispanic white women. In men, Hispanic-Americans have a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity than non-Hispanic men, while non-Hispanic white men have a greater prevalence than non-Hispanic black men.
Members of lower-income families generally experience a greater prevalence than those from higher-income families.
Already, these trends are associated with dramatic increases in conditions such as asthma, and in Type 2 diabetes among children.
Recommendations from the Surgeon General
• Ensure daily, quality physical education for all school grades.
• Ensure that more food options that are low in fat and calories, as well as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat or non-fat dairy products, are available on school campuses and at school events.
• Make community facilities available for physical activity for all people, including on the weekends.
• Create more opportunities for physical activity at work sites.
• Reduce time spent watching television and in other sedentary behaviors. In 1999, 43 percent of high-school students reported watching two hours of TV or more a day.
• Educate all expectant parents about the benefits of breast-feeding. Studies indicate breast-fed infants may be less likely to become overweight as they grow older.
• Change the perception of obesity so that health becomes the chief concern, not personal appearance.
• Increase research on the behavioral and biological causes of overweight and obesity. Direct research toward prevention and treatment, and toward ethnic/racial health disparities.
• Educate health care providers and health profession students on the prevention and treatment of overweight and obesity across the lifespan.
