Overweight and obesity are found worldwide, and the prevalence of these conditions in the United States ranks high along with other developed nations. Approximately 280,000 adult deaths in the United States each year are attributable to obesity. Below are some frequently asked questions and answers about overweight and obesity statistics. Unless otherwise specified, the figures given represent total (not age-adjusted) numbers.

The statistics presented here are based on the following definitions unless otherwise specified: overweight = BMI 25 to < 30; obesity = BMI 30.

How many adults are overweight ?

More than half of U.S. adults are overweight (BMI 25, which includes those who are obese).
All adults (20+ years old): 97.1 million (54.9 percent)
Women (20+ years old): 46.9 million (50.7 percent)
Men (20+ years old): 50.2 million (59.4 percent)

How many adults are obese ?

Nearly one-quarter of U.S. adults are obese (BMI 30).
All adults (20+ years old): 39.8 million (22.3 percent)
Women (20+ years old): 23 million (25 percent)
Men (20+ years old): 16.8 million (19.5 percent)

How many adults are a healthy weight ?

Less than half of U.S. adults are a healthy weight (BMI 19 to < 25).
All adults (20+ years old): 73.2 million (41.4 percent)
Women (20+ years old): 40.3 million (43.6 percent)
Men (20+ years old): 32.9 million (39.0 percent)

How has the prevalence of overweight and obesity in adults changed over the years ?

The prevalence has steadily increased over the years among nearly all racial/ethnic groups, as shown in the chart below. For example, from 1960 to 1994, the prevalence of overweight (BMI 25 to < 30) increased from 31.6 to 32.6 percent in U.S. adults. The prevalence of obesity (BMI 30) during this same time period increased from 13.4 to 22.3 percent (a relative increase of more than 50 percent) with most of this rise occurring in the past decade. The prevalence of overweight and obesity increases with advancing age until a person reaches his or her sixties, when it starts to decline. From 1991 to 1998, obesity increased in every state of the United States, in both genders, and across all races/ethnicities, age groups, educational levels, and smoking statuses.

As the prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased in the United States, so have related health care costs--both direct and indirect. Direct health care costs refer to preventive, diagnostic, and treatment services (for example, physician visits, medications, and hospital and nursing home care). Indirect costs are the value of wages lost by people unable to work because of illness or disability, as well as the value of future earnings lost by premature death.

The statistics presented in question-and-answer form below represent the economic cost of overweight and obesity in the United States in 1995. Unless otherwise specified, the statistics given are from Wolf and Colditz, who based their data on existing epidemiological studies that defined overweight and obesity as a BMI 29.

What is the cost of overweight and obesity ?

Total cost: $99.2 billion
Direct cost: $51.6 billion (5.7 percent of the U.S. health expenditure)
Indirect cost: $47.6 billion (comparable to the economic costs of cigarette smoking)

What is the cost of heart disease related to overweight and obesity ?

Direct cost related to overweight and obesity: $6.99 billion (17 percent of the $40.4 billion total direct cost of heart disease, independent of stroke).

What is the cost of type 2 diabetes related to overweight and obesity ?

Total cost related to overweight and obesity: $63.14 billion (more than 60 percent of the total cost of type 2 diabetes)
Direct cost: $32.4 billion
Indirect cost: $30.74 billion

What is the cost of osteoarthritis related to overweight and obesity ?

Total cost related to overweight and obesity: $17.2 billion
Direct cost: $4.3 billion
Indirect cost: $12.9 billion

What is the cost of hypertension (high blood pressure) related to overweight and obesity ?

Direct cost related to overweight and obesity: $3.23 billion (17 percent of the total cost of hypertension)

What is the cost of cancer related to overweight and obesity ?

Post-menopausal breast cancer
Total cost related to overweight and obesity: $2.32 billion
Direct cost: $840 million
Indirect cost: $1.48 billion

Endometrial cancer
Total cost related to overweight and obesity: $790 million
Direct cost: $286 million
Indirect cost: $504 million

Colon cancer
Total cost related to overweight and obesity: $2.78 billion
Direct cost: $1 billion
Indirect cost: $1.78 billion

What is the cost of lost productivity related to obesity ?

The cost of lost productivity related to obesity (BMI 30) among Americans ages 17-64 is $3.93 billion. This value considers the following annual numbers (for 1994):
Workdays lost related to obesity: 39.3 million
Physician office visits related to obesity: 62.7 million
Restricted activity days related to obesity: 239.0 million
Bed-days related to obesity: 89.5 million

How much do we spend on weight-loss products and services ?

Americans spend $33 billion annually on weight-loss products and services. (This figure represents consumer dollars spent in the early 1990s on all efforts at weight loss or weight maintenance including low-calorie foods, artificially sweetened products such as diet sodas, and memberships to commercial weight-loss centers.)

How physically active is the U.S. population ?

Only 22 percent of U.S. adults get the recommended regular physical activity (5 times a week for at least 30 minutes) of any intensity during leisure time. About 15 percent get the recommended amount of vigorous activity (3 times a week for at least 20 minutes). About 25 percent of adults claim they do no physical activity at all in their leisure time.

About 25 percent of young people (ages 12-21 years) participate in light to moderate activity (e.g., walking, bicycling) nearly every day. About 50 percent regularly engage in vigorous physical activity. Approximately 25 percent report no vigorous physical activity, and 14 percent report no recent vigorous or light to moderate physical activity.

Lack of physical activity contributes to the high prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States. In addition to helping to control weight, physical activity decreases the risk of dying from coronary heart disease and reduces the risk of developing diabetes, hypertension, and colon cancer.

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