Obesity

Obesity is common, serious and costly

* More than one-third of U.S. adults (35.7%) are obese. [Read data brief  [PDF-528Kb]]

* Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, some of the leading causes of preventable death. [Read guidelines]

* In 2008, medical costs associated with obesity were estimated at $147 billion; the medical costs for people who are obese were $1,429 higher than those of normal weight. [Read summary]

Obesity affects some groups more than others

* Non-Hispanic blacks have the highest age-adjusted rates of obesity (49.5%) compared with Mexican Americans (40.4%), all Hispanics (39.1%) and non-Hispanic whites (34.3%) [See JAMA. 2012;307(5):491-497. doi:10.1001/jama.2012.39].

Obesity and socioeconomic status

[Read data brief  [PDF-1.07Mb]]

* Among non-Hispanic black and Mexican-American men, those with higher incomes are more likely to be obese than those with low income.

* Higher income women are less likely to be obese than low-income women.

* There is no significant relationship between obesity and education among men. Among women, however, there is a trend—those with college degrees are less likely to be obese compared with less educated women.

* Between 1988–1994 and 2007–2008 the prevalence of obesity increased in adults at all income and education levels.back to top 

Obesity prevalence in 2011 varies across states and regions

* By state, obesity prevalence ranged from 20.7% in Colorado to 34.9% in Mississippi in 2011. No state had a prevalence of obesity less than 20%. 39 states had a prevalence of 25% or more; 12 of these states had a prevalence of 30% or more: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and West Virginia.

* The South had the highest prevalence of obesity (29.5%), followed by the Midwest (29.0%), the Northeast (25.3%) and the West (24.3%).

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