Latest Obesity Trends Offer Mixed Picture

February 26, 2014

Obesity among preschoolers ages 2 to 5 dropped from approximately 14% in 2003-04 to 8.4% in 2011-12, according to new research in the February 26 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association.  However, there was no change in obesity prevalence for all children and adolescents between 2 and 19 years of age – and obesity prevalence among women age 60 and over increased significantly from 31% to 38% over this period.

The article, “Prevalence of Childhood and Adult Obesity in the United States, 2011-2012,” authored by Cynthia L. Ogden, Margaret D. Carroll, Brian K. Kit, and Katherine M. Flegal of the National Center for Health Statistics, shows that 17% of youth and 35% of adults age 20 and over in the United States are obese.

The study is based on analysis of  data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), covering two-year cycles from 2003-04 through 2011-12.

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Posted by briantsai

Obesity – Americans still growing, but not as fast

January 14, 2010

New data in the latest Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) from NCHS statisticians show that the increasing rate of obesity may be slowing, although the prevalence of adults who are obese is still high. The numbers from 2007-2008 show that 33.8% of U.S. adults are obese (32.2% for men, 35.5% for women). The growth of the obesity rate in the U.S. over the past 40 years is depicted below.

Obesity by age, United States, 1971-1974 through 2005-2006:

For the data table, visit http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus08.pdf and see Trend Table 75.

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Posted by Megan Cox

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.

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Posted by Megan Cox