Obesity Rates Continue to Rise in US Adults and Children

HealthDay News — The prevalence of obesity and severe obesity continues to rise among adults and children in the United States, according to recent reports from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). These findings highlight a concerning trend with significant implications for public health.

Adult Obesity Trends

Data from August 2021 to August 2023 reveal that 40.3% of US adults aged 20 years and older have obesity, with 9.7% classified as having severe obesity . The prevalence of overweight among adults is 31.7%.

These figures represent a substantial increase since 1988-1994, when the prevalence of obesity was 22.9% and severe obesity was 2.8% . While the age-adjusted prevalence of obesity has not changed significantly in recent years, severe obesity has seen a marked increase from 7.7% to 9.7% between 2013-2014 and August 2021-August 2023 .

Obesity prevalence varies by age and education level. Adults aged 40-59 have a higher prevalence of obesity compared to those aged 20-39 and 60 and older . Obesity is less common among adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to those with less education .

Childhood Obesity Trends

The rise in obesity extends to younger populations. An estimated 21.1% of US children and adolescents aged 2 to 19 years had obesity between August 2021 and August 2023, including 7.0% with severe obesity, and 15.1% were overweight .

From 1971-1974 to August 2021-August 2023, obesity prevalence among children and adolescents increased dramatically from 5.2% to 21.1%, with severe obesity rising from 1.0% to 7.0% . These increases were observed across all age groups: 2-5 years, 6-11 years, and 12-19 years.

Understanding Obesity and BMI

Body mass index (BMI) is a commonly used measure to define obesity. It is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height in meters squared (kg/m²) . Obesity is defined as a BMI of 30 or higher, while severe obesity is a BMI of 40 or higher .

The data used in these reports are based on measured heights and weights from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a program that uses a complex, multistage probability design to gather data on the health and nutritional status of the US population .