Obesity Rates Expected to Soar in the US

Obesity is still on the rise. A new study released by the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health finds that by 2015, 75% of adults will be overweight, 41% will be obese. The study was a meta-analysis (comprehensive overview) of 20 different journal papers, reports, online data sets, and 4 different national surveys from 1960-2004. The study found that the obesity rate between those years had risen from 13% to 32%. The lead author of the study, Youfa Wang MD, PhD called obesity a public health crisis, and said, "The obesity rate in the United States has increased at an alarming rate over the past three decades. We set out to estimate the average annual increase in prevalence as well as the variation between population groups to predict the future situation regarding obesity and overweight among U.S. adults and children."

The study also found that people in specific groups such as non-Hispanic black women and children, Mexican-American women and children, low socioeconomic status black men and white women and children, Native Americans and Pacific Islanders-are disproportionately affected. For instance, the study found that among black women aged 40 years or over 80% are overweight, and 50% are obese.

May A. Beydoun, coauthor of the study said, "Our analysis showed patterns of obesity or overweight for various groups of Americans. All groups consistently increased in obesity or overweight prevalence, but the increase varied by group, making this public health issue complex. More research needs to be completed to look into the underlying causes."

Increasingly, doctors are looking for ways to treat obesity as a public health and environmental issue as rates continue to rise and affect more and more American%u2019s health. Otherwise, Beydoun said, "it will soon become the leading preventable cause of death in the United States."