Here is an overview of obesity in the United States. A person is considered obese when they achieve a particular body mass index (BMI).

Adults with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 are considered overweight, while adults with a BMI of 30 or more are considered obese.

Obesity can increase your risk for many types of medical problems, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer.

Statistics

Obesity affects 42.4% of American adults over the age of 20.

The annual medical costs of obesity in the United States are $ 147 billion per year (in 2008 dollars), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The groups with the highest obesity rate are non-Hispanic blacks (49.6%), Hispanics (44.8%), and non-Hispanic whites (42.2%).

In 2019, no state had an obesity rate below 20%. In Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia, 35% or more of adults are obese.

Chronology

2005 – USDA introduces the Food System: MyPyramid Food Guidance System. A more streamlined version of the 1992 Food Guide pyramid, it recommends portion control and exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle to fight obesity.

June 2, 2011 – MyPlate replaces the MyPyramid food referral system as the national effort to fight obesity continues. Dietary recommendations are displayed as portions of food on a plate instead of a three-dimensional pyramid.

December 2011 – The Fifth Circuit Court declares that “severe obesity is considered a disability” under the United States Disability Act.

June 26, 2012 – The US Preventive Services Task Force, an independent group of private sector experts, recommends that all adults get screened for obesity.

February 4, 2019 – According to an analysis published by the American Cancer Association and published in The Lancet Public Health, cancers fueled by obesity are on the increase in young adults in the United States and appear at increasingly younger ages.

June 18, 2019 – A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that obesity rates in low-income preschoolers have declined. The study reveals that the prevalence of obesity among children aged 2 to 4 years enrolled in the national nutrition program for women, infants and children increased from 15.9% in 2010 to 13.9% in 2016 .

December 18, 2019 – A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine predicts that more than half of the American population will be obese within 10 years if the country does not collectively adopt healthier eating habits. The study also found that one in four Americans will be “severely obese” with a body mass index over 35, which means they will be over 100 pounds overweight.