People like to joke that many statistics are made up, but the real statistics on obesity are no laughing matter. The 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that more than one-third of Americans are obese and another third are overweight. Being overweight increases the risk of developing many serious health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol and osteoarthritis.
Adults
As of 2008, more than two-thirds of the adult population over the age of 19 in the U.S. was obese or overweight--64.1 percent of women were overweight or obese, while 72.3 percent of men fell in that category. About 35 percent of American women were considered obese, and 32.2 percent of men were obese. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, being overweight encompasses all body weight sources, including muscles, bones and water. Obesity only measures the amount of fatty tissue. In actual population numbers, 149.3 million people were overweight and obese by the end of 2006.
Children
In 2009, nearly a third of children aged 2 to 19 were obese or overweight. 17.8 percent of boys in that age group were obese, as were 15.9 percent of girls. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintain Body Mass Index growth charts that are used to determine obesity in children. Overweight children are at or above the 85th percentile on the charts, while obese children are at or above the 95th percentile. Children need 60 minutes of physical activity every day to help maintain a healthy weight, yet only 42 percent of children aged 6 to 11 get enough exercise, while only 8 percent of children older than 11 include enough physical activity in a day.
Dieting
The dieting and weight loss industry is enormous for good reason: according to a 2006 Gallup poll, 56 percent of adults want to lose weight. 49 percent of men responding to the poll wanted to lose weight, while 63 percent of women were interested in weight loss. The poll found that increased exercise was the favored method of weight loss, but dieting is still a very popular choice for losing weight. Nearly 45 million people in the U.S. go on a diet every year, points out CBS News. In the pursuit of weight loss, many teenagers adopt unhealthy behaviors to shed pounds. More than half of teenage girls and almost a third of teenage boys use methods like laxatives, fasting and meal skipping to lose weight, notes the National Eating Disorders Association.
Costs
Every year the American public spends anywhere from $1 billion to $2 billion on weight-loss products and programs, but the real costs are even bigger. An article in Forbes points out that medical costs related to obesity are $93 billion per year. Illness and absenteeism related to obesity costs employers around $4 billion every year. As of 2009, yearly medical care costs for obese people was $1,429 more than for people at normal weights, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
References
- American Heart Association: Overweight and Obesity - Statistics
- Weight Control Information Network: Statistics Related to Overweight and Obesity
- National Eating Disorders Association: Statistics: Eating Disorders and Their Precursors
- Gallup; Close to 6 in 10 Americans Want to Lose Weight; David W. Moore; March 10, 2006
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: About BMI for Children and Teens
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