Yep, just as we suspected

Previous studies have shown that between 1980 and 2002, obesity and overweight levels doubled in adults and tripled in children 6 to 19. Researchers from the CDC utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to assess whether the observed trend of increasing obesity levels in the United States was continuing (JAMA 2006;295(13):1549-1555).

The NHANES sampled 4,240 males (adults and children) and 4,149 females (adults and children), assessing height and weight and calculating Body Mass Index (BMI). Study participants stated their race/ethnicity. For children and adolescents, overweight was defined as at or above the 95th percentile of the sex-specific BMI for age growth charts, while obesity for adults was defined as a BMI greater than 30. A BMI over 40 was defined as extreme obesity.

The results: The levels of overweight among children and adolescents increased significantly between 1999 and 2004: from 13.9 percent of children of all ethnic groups to 17.1 percent. That’s almost one in five children! White children’s levels of overweight increased the most—from 25.1 percent to 33.5 percent. For adults, 64.5 percent of adults were overweight in 1999, while in 2004 that percentage increased to 66.3. In 1999, 30.5 percent of all adults were clinically obese, while in 2004, 32.2 percent of all adults were obese. Mexican Americans had the highest levels of overweight in 2004: 75.8 percent; Blacks had the highest level of extreme obesity in 2004, at 10.5 percent.

What this means for you

Young and old, Americans are getting fatter and fatter, but the trend doesn’t have to continue. Make healthy choices in your family’s diet and get some exercise—-with your kids!

First posted: April 26, 2006