Statistics For Obesity In America

Medical professionals define obesity as the accumulation of excess fat on the human body. A patient receives an obesity diagnosis when his weight exceeds a body mass index of 30. Body mass index refers to a person's body composition. Obesity increases the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke and heart attack, making it a significant health issue in the United States.

Prevalence

Disease prevalence refers to the total number of cases in a population divided by the total number of people in the population. Katherine M. Flegal, Ph.D., and her colleagues at the National Center for Health Statistics conducted a study to determine the prevalence of obesity in the U.S. During this study, the investigators analyzed the height and weight measurements of 5,555 adults who were at least 20 years of age. Investigators determined that obesity had a prevalence of 32.2 percent among adult men and 35.5 percent among adult women in 2007 to 2008.

Mortality

Since obesity increases the risk of serious medical conditions, it can also lead to premature death. The Office of the Surgeon General estimates that 300,000 deaths per year may stem from obesity. In addition to the increased risk for heart problems, obesity also contributes to the development of sleep apnea, asthma and colon, prostate, endometrial, bladder, kidney, gallbladder and breast cancers.

Race

CDC data indicates that blacks have the highest rates of obesity in America, with blacks living in the south and Midwest being heavier than blacks living in the northeast and west. Hispanics also have higher rates of obesity than Caucasian Americans. Hispanics who live in the south, Midwest and west have higher obesity rates than Hispanics who live in the northeast part of the country.

Geography

Mississippi has the highest percentage of obese people in the United States at 34.4. Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia also have at least a 30-percent prevalence of obesity. Colorado and Washington have prevalence rates below 20 percent.

Childhood Obesity

Information from the CDC indicates that childhood obesity has increased substantially from 1980 to 2008. In 1980, 6.5 percent of American children aged 6 to 11 were obese. In 2009, 19.6 percent of the children in this age group were obese. Obesity rates in adolescents followed the same trend, with only 5 percent of American adolescents obese in 1980. This number increased to 18.1 percent of adolescents in 2008.