During the past 20 years there has been a
dramatic increase in obesity in the United
States. Currently, more than half of all U.S.
adults are considered overweight (defined
as BMI 25 to 29.9) or obese (defined as BMI
30 or higher). Body Mass Index is defined
as a measure of an adult’s weight in relation
to his or her height, specifically the adult’s
weight in kilograms divided by the square
of his or her height in meters. These data
were derived from the Behavioral Risk Factor
Surveillance System (BRFSS), a random-digit
telephone survey conducted by the CDC and
state health departments.
In 1985, while only a handful of states
were participating in CDC's BRFSS, none
fell into the highest two categories of
obesity prevalence. No BRFSS participating
states had an obesity rate greater than
14%.
By the year 2000, data were available
for all 50 states, revealing 49 states as
falling within the highest two categories
of obesity (i.e., 27 states having 15–19%
obesity; 22 states having a population rate
of 20% obesity or more).
As the obesity epidemic spread, the prevalence
of overweight among U.S. adults increased
by 61% from 1991 to 2000 alone.
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