Excess body fat increases risk of heart disease, type II diabetes and even certain types of cancer. Many countries, including the United States, the Seychelles, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, face high rates of obesity and associated health problems. In the United States, as in other countries, health authorities monitor the situation and recommend measures for reversing the trend towards obesity.
The Need for Weight Loss
A body mass index of 30 or higher indicates obesity. Between 2007 and 2008, 72.5 million U.S. adults were obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The average national obesity rate was 26.7 percent, ranging from 18.6 percent in Colorado to 34.4 percent in Mississippi. Healthy People 2020, a program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, aims to increase the number of healthy-weight American adults from 30.8 percent to 33.9 percent by 2020.
Weight Loss Methods
In the U.S., 25 percent of men and 45 percent of women are on a diet at any given time, National Eating Disorders Association and Screening for Mental Health statistics show. The National Weight Control Registry monitors more than 5,000 Americans who've lost 30 or more pounds and maintained the loss for a year or longer. To lose weight, 98 percent changed the way they eat and 94 percent exercised more, with walking being the most popular activity. Some 90 percent exercise an average of 1 hour daily to keep the weight off.
U.S. Exercise Guidelines
American adults ages 18 to 64 need at least 150 minutes moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes vigorous activity weekly to maintain weight, according to the CDC. In addition, adults should participate in strength training workouts that work all muscles groups two days a week. To lose weight, however, an adult may need 60 to 90 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity five days weekly, up to a total of 450 minutes weekly.
Exercise Statistics
As of 2009, 35 percent of U.S. adults claim to participate in regular physical activity during their free time, but 33 percent say they get no physical activity. Only 3 to 5 percent of the average population gets 30 minutes of exercise a day, suggests a major study published in the January 2008 issue of "Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise." Data from 2003 to 2006 show people on the west coast and in New England were the most physically active, while people in the east and south central regions were the least active.
References
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Vital Signs: State-Specific Obesity Prevalence Among Adults --- United States, 2009; August 2010
- Bradley University: Body and Beauty Standards
- The National Weight Control Registry: NWCR Facts
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; How Much Physical Activity Do Adults Need?; February 2011
- American College of Sports Medicine: Guidelines for Healthy Adults Under Age 65
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Exercise or Physical Activity; October 2010
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