For Americans, gaining weight seems to go hand in hand with getting older; the obesity rate for adults is twice as high as the youth rate. And now, the CDC pegs the adult rate at nearly 40 percent, up 2 percentage points in two years and the highest rate ever, while the youth obesity rate rose to 18.5 percent, up by more than a point and also a record.
The American Heart Association said the rise in obesity, drawn from the latest National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), “demonstrates the need for redoubling efforts to prevent and reduce obesity,” which increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer. “These staggering statistics are unacceptable,” said Nancy Brown, chief executive of the heart group.
In a National Center for Health Statistics data brief, four CDC doctors said, “Among both men and women, the prevalence of obesity followed a similar pattern by age.” Middle-aged adults were more likely to be obese than adults under the age of 39. For people over age 60, obesity rates were similar to the the overall obesity rate for men, 38 percent, and women, 41 percent. Rates were highest among blacks and Hispanics.
Among youth, obesity rates were lowest among children ages 2-5, higher for ages 6-11 and highest for teenagers. As with adults, obesity rates were highest among black and Hispanic youth.
Since the 1999-2000 round of NHANES, “a significantly increasing trend in obesity was observed in both adults and youth,” said the CDC data brief. The adult rate was 30.5 percent and the youth rate was 13.9 percent at the turn of the century. Now, the adult rate is 39.8 percent and the youth rate is 18.5 percent. “The prevalence of obesity in the United States remains higher than the Healthy People 2020 goals of 14.5 percent among youths and 30.5 percent among adults,” wrote the doctors, referring to a CDC public health project to prevent disease and improve quality of life.
The data brief did not discuss the causes of rising U.S. obesity. Often identified as factors are the sedentary lifestyle of many Americans and the overall rise in per capita food consumption. The average American consumes 3,600 calories a day, compared to 2,880 calories a day in 1961.
The Heart Association called for healthy school meals and physical education classes “that enable millions of children to fuel their bodies and strengthen their hearts.” The group also promotes more physical activity for adults.
The World Obesity Foundation estimates the cost of treating obesity-related illness will top $1.2 trillion in 2025, with the United States footing $555 million of it, “partly because of the high cost of medical care in the United States,” reported The Guardian. The foundation said taxes on sugary drinks would be a useful first step by governments.