September 24, 2024 – Severe obesity is becoming increasingly common within the United States, in line with a latest report from the CDC. Nearly one in 10 adults has severe obesity, and the condition affects women more often than men.
Nevertheless, the general obesity rate remained relatively stable at around 40% from 2013 to 2023.
Obesity was defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. A BMI of 40 or higher identified individuals with severe obesity. BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight.
It is vital to know the prevalence of obesity because this condition can increase the chance of other complex health problems. There can also be interest in whether latest and expensive obesity treatments, equivalent to GLP-1 drugs, can have long-term and meaningful effects on a broad scale.
The latest report is predicated on data from the CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) collected from 2021 to 2023. The survey includes an in-home interview followed by a health examination at a mobile screening center.
The latest figures show that about 100 million adults within the U.S. have obesity. An obesity diagnosis with a BMI of 30 corresponds to weighing 220 kilos and being 6 feet tall, or being 185 kilos and 5 feet 6 inches tall. A 6-foot-tall person with severe obesity weighs nearly 300 kilos or more, and a 5-foot-6-inch person with severe obesity weighs no less than 245 kilos.
However, the report's authors acknowledged that BMI has limitations as an indicator of obesity since it neither measures body fat nor assesses the distribution of body fat.
“The distribution of excess body fat, particularly visceral fat, contributes to the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases,” the authors wrote. “Despite these limitations, BMI is a simple and inexpensive screening tool for conditions that may increase the risk of certain chronic diseases.”
Visceral fat is stored deep within the abdominal area and might have toxic effects on the encompassing organs.
A federal health goal under the Healthy People 2030 initiative is to scale back the national adult obesity rate to 36%. This recent report showed that obesity is commonest amongst people ages 40 to 59 and lowest amongst individuals with no less than a bachelor's degree.
Treatment options Treatment options for obesity include lifestyle changes equivalent to weight-reduction plan and exercise, behavioral counseling or coaching, medications, and surgery. Studies consistently show that losing 5% to 10% of your weight can result in significant health changes, including improved levels of cholesterol, lower risk of diabetes, and higher heart health.