Overweight
and Obesity
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the prevalence of overweight and obesity
among U.S adults?
What is the prevalence of overweight among U.S
children?
What is the difference between overweight and obese?
Why are so many people overweight or obese today?
How does overweight and obesity affect your health?
What can be done about this major public health problem?
What are the costs associated with overweight and
obesity?
What is CDC doing to address the problem of overweight
and obesity?
What does CDC recommend to help people lose weight?
How can physical activity help prevent
overweight and obesity?
What is the prevalence of overweight and obesity among U.S. adults?
- In 1999–2000, an estimated 30% of U.S adults aged 20 years and
older — nearly 59 million people — were obese, defined as having a body
mass index (BMI) of 30 or more.
Source: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2000.
- In 1999–2000, an estimated 64% of U.S adults aged 20 years and
older
were either overweight or obese, defined as having a body mass index
(BMI) of 25 or more.
Source: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2000.
To read more about American adult overweight and obesity trends, visit
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 1999–2000)
Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Adults: United States,
1999–2000
CDC,
Nutrition and Physical Activity
Obesity and Overweight: Obesity Trends
[Back to Top]
What is the prevalence of overweight among U.S. children?
- In 1999–2000, an estimated 15% of children and adolescents
aged 6–19 years were overweight, defined as a body mass index for age
and sex at or above the 95th percentile of the CDC growth charts.
Source: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2000.
To read more about childhood and adolescent overweight,
visit
National Center for Health Statistics (NHANES)
Prevalence of Overweight
Among Children and Adolescents — United States, 1999
The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight
and Obesity Among Children and Adolescents
[Back to Top]
What is the difference between overweight and obese?
- An adult is considered "overweight" when he/she is are
above a healthy weight, which varies according to a person's height.
An individual is overweight when their BMI is between 25–29.9. The
standard used by researchers to define a person's weight according to
their height is "body mass index" (BMI).
- An adult with a BMI of 30 or more is considered obese. For example,
for a 5'4" woman, this means that she is 30 or more pounds over
her healthy weight.
To calculate your BMI and read more about the difference between
overweight and obesity, visit
CDC, Nutrition and Physical Activity
Obesity and
Overweight: Body Mass Index (BMI)
CDC, Nutrition and Physical Activity
Obesity
and Overweight: Defining Overweight and Obesity
[Back to Top]
Why are so many people overweight or obese today?
There are a number of factors that influence overweight or obesity,
including
- Behavior—eating too many calories while not getting enough
physical activity.
- Environment—home, work, school, or community can provide barriers
to or opportunities for an active lifestyle.
- Genetics—heredity plays a large role in determining how
susceptible people are to overweight and obesity. Genes also influence
how the body burns calories for energy or stores fat.
Behavioral and environmental factors are the main contributors to
overweight and obesity and provide the greatest opportunities for
prevention and treatment.
To read more about the reasons for overweight and obesity, visit
The
Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and
Obesity, Overweight and Obesity at a Glance
The
Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and
Obesity, Overweight Children and Adolescents
CDC, Office of Genetics and Disease Prevention
Obesity and Genetics: A
Public Health Perspective
[Back to Top]
How does overweight and obesity affect your health?
If you are overweight, you are more likely to develop health problems;
such as
- heart disease
- stroke
- diabetes
- cancer (such as colon cancer, endometrial cancer, and postmenopausal
breast cancer)
- gallbladder disease
- sleep apnea (interrupted breathing during sleep)
- osteoarthritis (wearing away of the joints)
The more overweight you are, the more likely you are to have health
problems. Weight loss and regular exercise can help improve the harmful
effects of being overweight. Studies show if you are overweight or obese,
losing 5%–10% of your body weight can improve your health.
To read more about how overweight and obesity affect your health,
visit
National
Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
You
Know the Health Risk of Being Overweight
The
Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and
Obesity, Overweight and Obesity: The Health Consequences
[Back to Top]
What can be done about this major public health problem?
The Surgeon General recently called for a broad approach to avoid and
reduce obesity. He challenged families, schools, work sites, health care
providers, communities, and the media to work together to prevent and
reduce obesity through
- Communication—by educating, motivating, and empowering decision
makers at all levels to create healthier communities.
- Action—by helping Americans balance healthy eating with regular
physical activity.
- Research and Evaluation—by improving the general public's
understanding of the causes, prevention, and treatment of overweight
and obesity.
To read more about what can be done, visit
The Guide
to Community Preventive Services*
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Oct. 26, 20001/Vol 50/No. RR-18**
(PDF - 158k)
Increasing Physical Activity: A Report on Recommendations of the Task
Force on Community Preventive Services
**You will need Acrobat
Reader (a free application) to view and print this document.
The
Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and
Obesity, Overweight and Obesity: What Can You Do?
The
Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and
Obesity: A Vision for the Future
[Back to Top]
What are the costs associated with overweight and obesity?
- In 2000, the cost of obesity in the United States was more than $117
billion.
- Poor nutrition and physical inactivity account for some 300,000
premature deaths in the United States each year.
To read more about the cost of overweight and obesity, visit
The
Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and
Obesity: Economic Consequences
[Back to Top]
What is CDC doing to address the problem of overweight and obesity?
In October 2000, CDC's Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity
funded a number of state health departments to help them develop and carry
out targeted nutrition and physical activity interventions in an effort to
prevent chronic diseases, especially obesity.
CDC, Division of Nutrition and
Physical Activity
State-Based Nutrition and Physical Activity
Program to Prevent Chronic Diseases, Including Obesity
[Back to Top]
What does CDC recommend to help people lose weight?
- The safest and most effective way to lose weight is to reduce
calories and increase physical activity. It is best to consult with
your personal physician or health care professional for advice to meet
your needs.
- Government research and recommendations can provide the facts based
on science so that people can make informed choices about appropriate
weight loss. The fact is most people who are attempting
weight loss are not using the correct method to achieve or maintain
positive results.
For more information about recommendations, visit
USDA The Food
Guide Pyramid
The
Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and
Obesity: Health Weight Advice for Consumers
[Back to Top]
How can physical activity help prevent overweight and obesity?
Physical activity, along with a healthy diet, plays an important role in
the prevention of overweight and obesity (USDHHS, 2001). In order to
maintain one's weight, the amount of calories used should equal the amount
of calories consumed. The body burns calories for everyday functions such
as breathing, digestion, and routine daily activities. But many people eat
more calories than they burn each day. A good way to burn off extra
calories and prevent weight gain is through leisure-time physical activity.
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Energy Balance is like a scale. When calories consumed are greater than
calories used, weight gain results. Let physical activity tip the scale in
your favor.
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Balance Your Food Intake and Your Activity
- One small chocolate chip cookie (50 calories) is equivalent to walking
briskly for 10 minutes.
- The difference between a large gourmet chocolate chip cookie and a
small chocolate chip cookie could be about 40 minutes of raking leaves
(200 calories).
- One hour of walking at a moderate pace (20 min/mile) uses about the
same amount of energy that is in one jelly filled doughnut (300
calories).
- A fast food "meal" containing a double patty cheeseburger,
extra-large fries and a 24 oz. soft drink is equal to running 2½ hours
at a 10 min/mile pace (1500 calories).
The "Balance Your Food..." content
above was taken from The
Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Obesity and
Overweight (USDHHS, 2001).
For more information on factors that contribute to overweight and
obesity, please visit the following Web sites.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Obesity and Overweight
The Surgeon General's Call To Action To Prevent and Decrease Obesity and
Overweight: Overweight and Obesity-What You Can Do
[Back to Top]
*Links to non-Federal organizations are provided
solely as a service to our users. Links do not constitute an endorsement of any
organization by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The
CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages
found at this link.
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