The Obesity Epidemic: New Study Reveals What Demographics Are Most At Risk
Since 1999, the prevalence of obesity in the United States has increased by over ten percent. Now, about forty-one percent of American adults are obese, according to the CDC.
And researchers from Brigham Young University recently published a new study in hopes of revealing essential data that can help prevent the obesity epidemic from progressing.
The study was published in the Journal of Obesity and analyzed over thirteen thousand and eight hundred U.S. adults who were randomly selected through the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
The team used NHANES data to analyze how U.S. adults’ weight changed over a ten-year period.
The study revealed that over half of adults gain five percent or more of their body weight in that time. Moreover, a third of the participants gained ten percent or more weight, while a fifth gained twenty percent or more.
Larry Tucker, the study’s lead author, described how this study underscored the severity of obesity in the U.S.
“The U.S. obesity epidemic is not slowing down. Without question, ten-year weight gain is a serious problem within the U.S. adult population,” Tucker said.
Other findings included how weight gain differs between genders and ages.
First, the researchers found that women gained two times as much weight over the ten years than men did.
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Additionally, U.S. adults interestingly gained more weight in their younger years. Between the ages of twenty and thirty, Americans gain an average of seventeen pounds.
Then, from their thirties to forties, Americans gain about fourteen pounds. There is a slow down from forty to fifty years old, when adults gain an average of ten pounds.
Then, from fifty to sixty, most people gain about four pounds.
So, with each passing decade, Americans are continually putting on weight– averaging about forty-five pounds more than their starting baseline.
This amount will push most people into the obese BMI category and can lead to coinciding health effects such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and more.
But, Tucker also believes that these findings can help aid preventative efforts to combat the gains.
“By knowing who is more likely to become obese, we can help healthcare providers and public health officials focus more on at-risk individuals,” Tucker explained.
And the best way to personally combat obesity as you age is by remaining active and eating a balanced diet.
If you find yourself struggling with maintaining your weight, you can also reach out to your healthcare provider for a more individualized health plan.
To read the study’s complete findings, visit the link here.
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