Obesity epidemiology and demographics
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [2]
Overview
Overview
Epidemiology and Demographics
Epidemiology and Demographics
Prevalence
- United States
The prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States makes obesity a leading public health problem. The United States has the highest rates of obesity in the developed world.[1] From 1980 to 2002, obesity has doubled in adults and overweight prevalence has tripled in children and adolescents.[2] From 2003-2004, “children and adolescents aged 2 to 19 years, 17.1% were overweight…and 32.2% of adults aged 20 years or older were obese.”[2] The prevalence in the United States continues to rise.[3]
- United Kingdom
The Health Survey for England predicts that more than 12 million adults and 1 million children will be obese by 2010 if no action is taken.[4][5]
- China
Because of the booming economy increasing average incomes, the population of China has recently begun a more sedentary lifestyle and at the same time begun consuming more calorie-rich foods. From 1991 to 2004 the percentage of adults who are overweight or obese increased from 12.9% to 27.3%.[6]
Obesity is a public health and policy problem because of its prevalence, costs and burdens.[7] The prevalence of obesity has been continually rising for two decades.[8] This sudden rise in obesity prevalence is attributed to environmental and population factors rather than individual behavior and biology because of the rapid and continual rise in the number of overweight and obese individuals.[9] The current environment produces risk factors for decreased physical activity and for increased calorie consumption. These environmental factors operate on the population to decrease physical activity and increase calorie consumption.
References
References
- ↑ According to circa 2005 OECD data. See §3.3, Overweight and obesity, Health at a Glance 2007: OECD Indicators, SourceOECD (accessed on line January 12, 2008.)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Curtin LR, McDowell MA, Tabak CJ, Flegal KM (2006). “Prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States, 1999-2004”. JAMA. 295 (13): 1549–55. doi:10.1001/jama.295.13.1549. PMID 16595758.
- ↑ The rapid epidemic of obesity in individual U.S. states from 1985-2004 can be seen here and here
- ↑ BBC England to have 13m obese by 2010 25 August 2006
- ↑ Forecasting obesity to 2010
- ↑ Popkin, Barry (September, 2007). “The World Is Fat”. Scientific American. p. 94. Template:ISSN. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Office of Surgeon General, The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity 2001 (2001)
- ↑ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Obesity Trends 1984 – 2002 [1].
- ↑ Morrill A, Chinn C. The obesity epidemic in the United States. J Public Health Policy 2004;25:353-366. PMID 15683071.
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