Table 2. Age-adjusted* prevalence of overweight and obesity among U.S. adults, age 20-74 years

 

NHANES II
(1976-80)
(n=11,207)

NHANES III
(1988-94)
(n=14,468)

NHANES
(1999-2000)
(n=3,603)

 NHANES
(2001-02)
(n=3,916)		 NHANES
(2003-04)
(n=3,756)

Overweight or obese (BMI greater than or equal to 25.0)

47.1

55.9

64.5

 65.7 66.2

Obese (BMI greater than or equal to 30.0)

15.0

23.2

30.9

 31.3 32.9

*Age-adjusted by the direct method to the year 2000 U.S. Bureau of the Census estimates using the age groups 20-39, 40-59, and 60-74 years.
**NHANES II did not include individuals over 74 years of age, thus trend estimates are based on age 20-74 years.