First-Ever Data on Asian-Americans Released

January 15, 2014

The number of Asian persons in the United States grew by more than 40% between 2000 and 2010. Asian persons now make up 4.9% of the population. To address the scarcity of health information based on physical measurements of Asian persons, non-Hispanic Asian persons were oversampled for the first time in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011–2012. A new report presents the prevalence of hypertension, abnormal cholesterol, and high body mass index (BMI) in non-Hispanic Asian adults aged 20 and over. Abnormal cholesterol and high BMI are defined based solely on measurements, while hypertension is defined based on blood pressure measurement and reported medication use.

Key Findings from the Report:

  • One-quarter (25.6%) of non-Hispanic Asian adults aged 20 and over had hypertension in 2011–2012.
  • Approximately 1 in 10 non-Hispanic Asian adults had high total cholesterol.
  • Just over 14% of non-Hispanic Asian adults had low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
  • Just under 40% of non-Hispanic Asian adults had a body mass index greater than 25 kilograms per square meter.

Obesity information-it starts with the letters NHANES

August 5, 2009

Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released information concerning the prevalence and costs of the growing epidemic of obesity in the United States. Some of the most critical information concerning the weight of the nation is collected in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which takes actual measurements of a nationally representative sample of the U.S. population.

For the most recent information on obesity and overweight, please visit the Health E-Stat report at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hestats/overweight/overweight_adult.htm.

For a more general overview, visit http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/overwt.htm.

As always, the NCHS press office can be reached at 301-458-4800.