100 Startling Facts on Obesity in America

The problem of obesity in the United States has become the focus of multiple private and government organizations. It has become such a concern, in fact, that entire departments of the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control are dedicated to statistical tracking of obesity. Below are 100 surprising facts on obesity in the United States.

Obesity and Socioeconomic Data

Aside from keeping too many empty-calorie foods in your home, certain environmental and socioeconomic factors relate to obesity.

1. Higher-income Mexican-American men and non-Hispanic black men are more likely to be obese than their lower-income counterparts.
2. Higher-income women are less likely to be obese than low-income women.
3. If you’re a man, education has no relationship to your body mass. If you’re a woman, you’re less likely to be obese if you’re college-educated.
4. Physical inactivity is directly related to obesity data. That might sound obvious, but inactivity at work is just as damaging as inactivity at home.
5. Income and education made no difference between 1988-2004 and 2007-2008. Obesity increased for all adults in these years, regardless of situation.
6. Non-Hispanic blacks have the highest rates of obesity overall at 44.1%.
7. Hispanics overall have an obesity prevalence of 37.9%. Mexican-Americans have obesity rating of 39.3%.
8. Non-Hispanic whites have an obesity prevalence of 32.6%.
9. Regardless of ethnicity, men with higher incomes are more likely to be obese.
10. Regardless of ethnicity, women with lower incomes are more likely to be obese.
11. Adjusted for gender, 41% of obese adults are those with higher incomes; most of these obese adults are non-Hispanic whites with incomes above 130% of the poverty level.
12. If you live in an area where walking or bicycling is difficult or not facilitated, you are more likely to be inactive.
13. People who live in neighborhoods they feel are unsafe are less likely to be active.
14. Children who grow up in rural, minority, or low-income neighborhoods are less likely to have access to healthy food choices and are more likely to eat from convenience stores or restaurants.
15. More than half of U.S. middle and high schools sell sugary soft drinks and snacks to students.
16. In 2009, only 33% of students in U.S. schools attended a daily physical education class.
17. Only about 65% of obese adults have been told by a healthcare practitioner that they are overweight.
18. Obese women are more likely to be told they are overweight than obese men.
19. Shift workers are more likely to be obese than day workers.
20. Full-time working men are more likely to be active, and therefore at less risk of obesity, than nonworking men.
21. Full-time working men with active jobs are more likely to be active in their leisure time, and therefore at less risk of obesity, than full-time working men with sedentary jobs.
22. Full-time working women with active jobs and nonworking women are more likely to be active in their leisure time, and therefore less at less risk of obesity, than full-time working women with sedentary jobs.
23. Obesity is most prevalent among farmers and artisans.
24. Hospital-based nurses have about a 30% chance of being obese, though they are likely to believe they are only a little overweight.
25. Individuals who have perceived difficulty in relationships, paying bills, and excessive job-related demands are at an increased risk of being obese. Panic disorder and anxiety disorder exacerbate this risk.
26. Schools in poor neighborhoods are less likely to have adequate fitness facilities for students, thus contributing to the obesity problem in children.
27. Due to cultural expectations and media depictions, white women are more likely to obsess over obesity than nonwhite women.
28. Individuals who work in low-income positions are less likely to have access to fitness facilities or have the income to join membership-based fitness facilities.
29. You are 57% more likely to become obese if a friend has become obese.
30. Despite medical and government efforts, obesity is often seen as a signal of wealth; such depictions are usually misunderstandings based upon educational posters and advertisements.

Obesity Trends by Age

Obesity isn’t just a problem for one age group; it affects all ages equally.

1. Approximately 72.5 million adults in the U.S. are obese.
2. In 2010, 11.3% of adults 20 and older had type 2 diabetes.
3. 70% of obese children have at least one cardiovascular disease risk factor, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
4. Obese children are more likely to become obese adults.
5. Morbid obesity in adulthood is linked to childhood obesity.
6. Obese children are at an increased risk of social and psychological troubles.
7. Approximately 17% of children aged 2-19 are obese.
8. Obesity prevalence among children has nearly tripled in the past three decades.
9. One in seven preschool-aged children from low-income households is obese.
10. Hispanic boys aged 2-19 were far more likely to be obese in 2007-2008 than non-Hispanic white boys.
11. Non-Hispanic black girls aged 2-19 were far more likely to be obese in 2007-2008 than non-Hispanic white girls.
12. Since 1974, the prevalence of obesity among children 2-19 has more than tripled from 5% to 16.9%.
13. In 1974, 5% of children aged 2-5 were obese; by 2008, 10.4% were obese.
14. In 1974, 4% of children between 6 and 11 were obese; by 2008, this percentage was close to 20%.
15. In 1974, 6.1% of children 12-19 were obese; by 2008, this number was almost triple at 18.1%.
16. Children who live in areas where parks and recreation centers are difficult to reach or inaccessible are at a higher risk of being obese.
17. In a typical day, about 80% of children in the U.S. consume at least one high-sugar beverage.
18. The average child aged 8-18 spends approximately 7.5 hours a day utilizing entertainment media for leisure. During these times, the child is likely to view advertisements for unhealthy food choices while consuming unhealthy snacks.
19. 60% of adults drink at least one sugary drink per day.
20. The age-adjusted prevalence of obesity in adults 20-74 is 34.3%.
21. Obese adolescents report a markedly lower quality of life than their normal-weighted counterparts.
22. The earlier a child is diagnosed as obese, the more likely they are to develop into morbidly obese adults with associated health problems.
23. Adolescents with low expectations for their futures are more likely to be obese than their optimistic peers.
24. Obese children ages 2-5 are more likely to experience behavioral problems.
25. Obese children get the majority of their calories from fat and spend more time performing sedentary activities, such as watching television, than their normal-weighted peers.
26. 12% of high-school aged adolescents are obese.
27. Ethnic minority children aged 6-8 are more likely to be obese than normal-weighted ethnic moonrise.
28. Adults between the ages of 40 and 59 are the most likely group to be obese.
29. Adults between the ages of 20 and 39 are the least likely to be obese.

Obesity Trends by U.S. Location

Some regions are fatter than others. Perhaps it’s due to popular cuisine in certain areas, or maybe it’s how people get around in their home states. More likely, there are a number of factors that contribute to the statistics.

1. Missisippi has the highest rate of obese adults at 34% of the population.
2. Colorado has the lowest rate of obese adults at 21% of the population.
3. You’re more likely to be obese if you live in the South; prevalence here runs about 29%. The West has the lowest prevalence at 24.1%, and the Northeast and Midwest fall in the middle at 24.9% and 28.7%, respectively.
4. In 2000, there wasn’t a single state where more than 30% of the population was obese. By 2010, there were 12 states that met this unfortunate distinction.
5. In 2008, at least 70% of counties in Mississippi, Kentucky, Alabama, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Tennessee had leisure-time inactivity rates of 29.2% or more.
6. In 2008, at least 70% of counties in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington had leisure-time inactivity rates of 23.2% or less.
7. The most active counties in the United States are in Colorado and Wyoming.
8. The most inactive counties in the United States are in Kentucky and West Virginia.
9. Individuals living in counties in Mississippi and Alabama are more likely to be obese and diabetic.
10. Individuals living in counties in Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah are less likely to be obese and diabetic.
11. Overall, the Northeast and West regions of the U.S. tie for having the lowest obesity levels, while the South and the Midwest tie for have the highest obesity levels.
12. For the U.S. government’s Healthy People 2010 objective, not a single state met the 15% obesity target, which was measured in 2009.
13. In 2000, roughly half the country had an obesity prevalence of less than 20%. By 2009, only Colorado and Washington, D.C. could claim this distinction.
14. Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, D.C, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Utah, and Vermont were the states where obesity was prevalent in less than 25% of the population in 2010.
15. Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia were the states where obesity was prevalent in greater than 30% of the population in 2010.

Health Facts and Risks Associated with Obesity

Not surprisingly, it’s impossible to be considered healthy and obese. A number of diseases become more of a threat as body mass increases.

1. Obesity in adults is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30.
2. Are you obese? The BMI formula for adults is: (weight in pounds/(height in inches x height in inches)) x 703.
3. In 2008, third-party payers spent over $1,400 more per obese person in medical costs than was required of individuals of a normal weight.
4. Obesity increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers including those of the colon, breast, and esophagus.
5. Aside from aiding obesity, physical inactivity is a risk factor in the development of type 2 diabetes.
6. The medical costs associated with obesity in 2008 were around $147 billion.
7. The medical costs associated with type 2 diabetes in 2007 were $116 billion.
8. In 2007, those with type 2 diabetes spent 2.3 times as much of their income on medical costs as those without diabetes.
9. Obese individuals are more likely to suffer from sleep apnea.
10. Obese individuals often produce more cholesterol, which is a risk factor for gallstones, heart attacks, and strokes.
11. Babies of obese mothers have an increased risk of being stillborn, premature, oversized when accounting for gestational age, or having neural tube defects, such as spina bifid a.
12. Obesity makes you more likely to develop high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high triglycerides.
13. Breastfeeding protects against childhood obesity.
14. Women who are obese have an increased risk of abnormal menstruation and infertility.
15. The risk of developing osteoarthritis, especially of the lower joints, is higher in obese individuals.
16. Obesity increases the risk of developing asthma and pulmonary blood clots.
17. Gout is more common in obese individuals.
18. Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, in now being diagnosed in obese children as young as two years, especially if it runs in the family.
19. Hospitalization costs for obesity-related conditions in children and adolescents were at $127 million by 1999.
20. Obese children with type 2 diabetes face the same risks of developing blindness, kidney disease, and amputations as adults.
21. Obese individuals account for 90% of type 2 diabetes cases.
22. Heredity can contribute between 5% and 40% in terms of developing obesity.
23. An obese person is more likely to have poor posture, which contributes to lower back pain and disc problems.
24. Obese women who have gestational diabetes are more likely to give birth to children who will become obese.
25. Obese individuals are more likely to suffer from chronic inflammatory disorders, regardless of age.
26. If you are obese and experience a brain injury, you are more likely to suffer from decreased brain oxygen tension.

Taken From NonDiet