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Obesity Statistics, Overweight Statistics

Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites

Obesity Statistics for US Adults, Children, Minorities in America

For anyone who has been watching the news lately, we don't need anyone to tell us that overweight and obesity are running rampant in America, as well as around certain areas of the globe.

In fact, we don't even need to listen or read the news; we can simply look around us as see the impact of weight gain.

Fewer and fewer middle-age to senior adults are thin these days. Fortunately, young adults more often than not do attempt to achieve their recommended weight and watch the foods and drinks that go into their daily diet.

If you've watched an old movie - such as from 1940 and 1950 era, you can instantly see how thin individuals were in that era. Take June Cleaver from Leave it to Beaver.

Even back then, the people that were often teased about being plump or fat were actually still quite thin in comparison to modern day individuals.

From 1970 America our way of eating has shifted drastically.

While the diners from that era used three ounces of steak as a serving size, these days it's not uncommon for a diner to devour a pound or more at one meal. Soda - the sugary stuff used to be limited to one cup, or eight ounces. I've seen people drink two of the two-liter bottles in one day. Hot dogs used to be one per person; now it's two or three and the same applies to burgers.

It's no surprise given the huge increase in food intake, specifically caloric and dietary fat intake, that we live in a much larger world these days. Let's review the data based on Body Mass Index (BMI).

Keep in mind that there are dozens of study modules regarding Obesity Statistics and data is continually changing.

The following is based on data from the USDA & WIN - the Weight Control Information Network.

Overweight and Obesity fall into two separate categories based on BMI.

Overweight Statistics for Americans

About two-thirds of the US adult population age twenty and older are considered overweight. This data is based on a BMI exceeding 25.

Obesity Statistics for Amercians

Nearly one-third of overweight individuals are considered obese; this data is based on a BMI exceeding 30.

Healthy Weight Statistics for Americans

Healthy weight is based on a BMI of more than 18.5 and less than 25. After reviewing the above Obesity and Overweight statistics, it becomes clear that weight is a growing national health concern.

Overweight & Obesity Statistics for Minorities in America

When the statistics are further broken down, the numbers are staggering. Let's look at the African American, Mexican American, and White statistics for overweight as well as statistic for our kids.

Non-Hispanic Blacks

Women: 77.3% are considered overweight while 60.7% are overweight.

Mexican Americans

Women: 71.9% are considered overweight which is slightly lower than Non-Hispanic Blacks. Mexican American men on the other hand experience quite a bit more weighty issues than African American men at 74.7%.

Non-Hispanic Whites

57.3% of white women are overweight while 67.4% of white men are overweight.

In all three of these categories, more than fifty percent of each ethnic group - both men and women are considered overweight with many sliding into the obese category.

Childhood Obesity Statistics

Children that are ages four through nineteen: 15% are considered overweight.

The great news is that those unhealthy pounds can be trimmed away via a healthy daily diet plus moderate activity; more and more individuals are attempting to diet these days in a dedicated effort to get rid of those pounds.

Rather than fuss at those who have gained too much weight, I can say from experience that support works best.

If you are overweight, please keep reading Diet Bites for tips that can help your achieve a higher quality of life through weight loss; ask your friends and family for support. You'll be so glad that you did.

 

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