More People Admit They Are Obese

(July 18, 2008) - Fewer people are in denial about being overweight and obese. (Read about "Obesity") The proportion of U.S. adults who self report they are obese increased nearly 2 percent between 2005 and 2007, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). An estimated 25.6 percent of U.S. adults reported being obese in 2007 compared to 23.9 percent in 2005, an increase of 1.7 percent. The report also finds that none of the 50 states or the District of Columbia has achieved the Healthy People 2010 goal to reduce obesity prevalence to 15 percent or less.

In three states - Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee - the prevalence of self-reported obesity among adults age 18 or older was above 30 percent. Colorado had the lowest obesity prevalence at 18.7 percent. Obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above. (Read about "BMI")

For this report more than 350,000 adults were interviewed each year, making this the largest telephone health survey in the world. BMI was calculated based on this self-reported information.

The study found that obesity is more prominent in the South, where 27 percent of respondents were classified as obese. The percentage of obese adults was 25.3 in the Midwest, 23.3 percent in the Northeast, and 22.1 percent in the West.

By age, the prevalence of obesity ranged from 19.1 percent for men and women aged 19-29 years to 31.7 and 30.2 percent, respectively, for men and women aged 50-59 years.

"Obesity is a major risk factor for a number of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. (Read about "Diabetes" "Coronary Heart Disease" "Stroke") These diseases can be very costly for states and the country as a whole," said Deb Galuska, associate director for science for CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity.