CHICAGO—New data reveals obesity in the United States is on the decline; however, approximately one-third of adults are still considered obese, according to a new study published in the Jan. 20 issue of the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA).
Researchers analyzed height and weight measurements from 5,555 adult men and women age 20 years or older obtained from the latest National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 2007-2008 and compared the results with data for 1999 through 2006. Overweight was defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 25.0 to 29.9; obesity was defined as a BMI of 30.0 or higher.
The researchers found that in 2007-2008, the prevalence of obesity was 33.8 percent overall. Among men, prevalence was 32.2 percent overall and within racial and ethnic groups ranged from 31.9 percent among non-Hispanic Caucasian men to 37.3 percent among non-Hispanic black men. For women, the prevalence was 35.5 percent overall, and ranged from 33.0 percent among non-Hispanic Caucasian women to 49.6 percent among non-Hispanic black women. The prevalence of overweight and obesity combined was 68.0 percent overall, 72.3 percent among men, and 64.1 percent among women.