More than quarter of US obese
2008-07-18 11:43
Washington - More than a quarter
of all Americans are now obese, the latest US government
figures show.
The percentage of US adults who are obese grew by nearly
2 percent between 2005 and 2007, from just under 24% to
25.6%, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
reported on Thursday.
Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee had the worst rates,
with 30% of adults reporting weights that made them
medically obese.
Colorado had the slimmest population, with 18.7% of
people reporting weights that put them in the obese category.
Obesity is defined as having a body mass index or BMI of 30
or above. BMI is calculated using height and weight. For
example, a 175cm tall adult who weighs 92 kg would have a BMI of 30.
BMI takes into account variations in build for all but the
most heavily muscled athletes.
"The epidemic of adult obesity continues to rise in the
United States indicating that we need to step up our efforts at
the national, state and local levels," said Dr William Dietz,
director of the CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity,
and Obesity.
'More physical activity'
"We need to encourage people to eat more fruits and
vegetables, engage in more physical activity and reduce the
consumption of high calorie foods and sugar sweetened beverages
in order to maintain a healthy weight," Dietz said.
CDC researchers used data from the Behavioural Risk Factor
Surveillance System, an annual telephone survey of more than
350 000 adults.
Southerners are the heaviest Americans, on average, with
27% obese. Just over 25% of adults in the
Midwest, 23% in the Northeast, and 22% in the
West are obese.
In May, the CDC reported that the childhood obesity
epidemic had levelled off after surging for about 20 years, with
16% of young people obese.
World health officials have agreed on a BMI of 30 as an
easily remembered cut-off point for obesity.
People are
considered overweight when they have a BMI of 25, and the
health effects of obesity and overweight, such as diabetes,
heart disease and cancer, increase steadily as weight goes up.