Study: More Americans Obese Than Ever
Number Of Obese Children Triples In 10 Years
POSTED: 2:48 pm CDT October 8, 2002
UPDATED: 11:12 am CDT October 9, 2002
BOSTON -- What may soon replace cigarette smoking as the leading cause of avoidable death in America?The answer may surprise you -- it's obesity. A new study found that more Americans are overweight and obese than ever before. The number of obese Americans ballooned to a staggering 30 percent between 1999 and 2000, up from 23 percent, according to a new study published in Wednesday's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.The distinction between being overweight and obese is based on body mass index, which uses height and weight to calculate body fat.In the study, researchers from the National Center for Health Statistics examined BMI readings of 4,115 adult men and women to determine if they were overweight. People with a BMI of 25 or greater were considered overweight, and people with a BMI of 30 or more were considered obese. 
Calculate Your Body Mass Index. The biggest weight increases were found in four different groups: people over age 60, African-American teens, Mexican-American teens and African-American women, according to the study.Experts said that the fattening of America has dangerous medical implications."Everything from diabetes to heart disease to sleep apnea to reflux disease to nine different forms of cancer, psychological complications, the list goes on and on," Massachusetts General Hospital Dr. Lee Kaplan said.An even heavier issue is the fact that so many young people are battling the bulge. In an accompanying study of 4,722 children, researchers found that the number of overweight children has tripled since 1992. Almost 16 percent of teenagers, 15 percent of 6- to 11-year-olds and 10 percent of 2- to 5-year-olds are overweight, causing a range of problems."The short-term implications are disastrous," Kaplan said. "You've got high school kids unable to learn effectively because of sleep apnea. You've got people with diabetes beginning at age 12 or 13."Of course, you don't have to be an obesity expert to pinpoint at least part of the reason."I think people probably don't take enough responsibility for their eating habits is what it is," one man said.The studies don't identify the reason for America's growing weight problem, but suggest that sedentary lifestyles, dining out, and an increase in portion sizes are likely to blame.Marlene Lesson, a registered dietitian in Durham, N.C., advised people not to focus on the perfect weight, but to set small goals, like losing 10 percent of body weight at a time."We're more interested in people being successful in the long run, long-term weight control," Lesson said.
Calculate Your Body Mass Index. The biggest weight increases were found in four different groups: people over age 60, African-American teens, Mexican-American teens and African-American women, according to the study.Experts said that the fattening of America has dangerous medical implications."Everything from diabetes to heart disease to sleep apnea to reflux disease to nine different forms of cancer, psychological complications, the list goes on and on," Massachusetts General Hospital Dr. Lee Kaplan said.An even heavier issue is the fact that so many young people are battling the bulge. In an accompanying study of 4,722 children, researchers found that the number of overweight children has tripled since 1992. Almost 16 percent of teenagers, 15 percent of 6- to 11-year-olds and 10 percent of 2- to 5-year-olds are overweight, causing a range of problems."The short-term implications are disastrous," Kaplan said. "You've got high school kids unable to learn effectively because of sleep apnea. You've got people with diabetes beginning at age 12 or 13."Of course, you don't have to be an obesity expert to pinpoint at least part of the reason."I think people probably don't take enough responsibility for their eating habits is what it is," one man said.The studies don't identify the reason for America's growing weight problem, but suggest that sedentary lifestyles, dining out, and an increase in portion sizes are likely to blame.Marlene Lesson, a registered dietitian in Durham, N.C., advised people not to focus on the perfect weight, but to set small goals, like losing 10 percent of body weight at a time."We're more interested in people being successful in the long run, long-term weight control," Lesson said. Distributed by Internet Broadcasting. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
