The USA obesity rate is rising and a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that more than one-third of all adults and 17 percent of youth are considered obese. This mean that about 1 in 3 adults in the U.S.is obese.
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However, the obesity rate was by far the lowest among Asians – just under 12 percent for both men and women.
But if you’re a silver-linings kind of person, there’s this: After decades of increases, obesity rates do seem to be flattening out.
American adults are still in the clutches of obesity and the diseases that come with it. Even though there have been numerous awareness campaigns and other efforts to help people watch their weight, women have surpassed men in obesity, says the latest government research. As per statistical data released by the agency, about 37.7% increase in obesity rates have been seen in USA adults this year which is up from 34.9% in 2011 to 2012.
But he adds, “it is imperative that we double down on our efforts to go beyond flattening the rates so that we actually start decreasing childhood obesity rates”. “Although the overall prevalence of childhood obesity is higher than the Healthy People 2020 goal of 14.5 percent, the prevalence of obesity among children aged 2-5 years is below the goal of 9.4 percent”. They found that about 38.3% of women in United States are facing obesity in comparison to about 34.3% of men.
Of greatest concern is the growing divide among racial groups – underscoring the need to support Black and Hispanic communities in closing the gap in issues of access to healthy foods and safe community spaces for physical activity.
The new report also shows women have a higher level of obesity than men, with higher rates among female blacks and Hispanics.
“This is a striking finding” and suggests that a situation that was thought to be stable is getting worse, said Dr. William Dietz, an obesity expert at George Washington University.
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The medical and economic toll of this problem remains huge as well.
