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Results from the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), using measured heights and weights, indicate that an estimated 32.7 percent of U.S. adults 20 years and older are overweight, 34.3 percent are obese and 5.9 percent are extremely obese as shown in table 1.
One of the national health objectives for 2010 is to reduce the prevalence of obesity among adults to less than 15 percent. The NHANES 2005-2006 data for persons age 20 years and over suggest an increase, between the late 1980s and today, in obesity in the United States, with the estimated age-adjusted prevalence moving upward from a previous level of 23 percent in NHANES III (1988-94) to approximately 34 percent. The change between 2003-2004 and 2005-2006, however, was not statistically significant. Data Brief No 1 PDF 366 KB
NHANES used a stratified, multistage, probability sample of the civilian, U.S. non-institutionalized population. A household interview and a physical examination were conducted for each survey participant. During the physical examination, conducted in mobile examination centers, height and weight were measured as part of a more comprehensive set of body measurements. These measures were taken by trained health technicians, using standardized measuring procedures and equipment. Observations for pregnant women and for persons missing a valid height or weight measurement were not included in the data analysis.
Body mass index (BMI), expressed as weight/height2 (BMI; kg/m2), is commonly used to classify overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9), obesity (BMI greater than or equal to 30.0) and extreme obesity (BMI greater than or equal to 40) among adults (age 20 years and over). It is possible to look at trends over a longer time period for adults age 20-74 years (NHANES I & II did not include individuals over 74 years of age). Although the prevalence of obesity has more than doubled since 1980, the prevalence of overweight has remained stable over the same time period. Table 2.
Figures 1 and 2 contain trend data from tables 1 and 2.
NHANES
III |
NHANES |
NHANES |
NHANES** 2003-04 n=4,431 |
NHANES** 2005-06 n=4,356 |
|
Overweight (BMI greater than or equal to 25.0 and less than 30.0) |
33.1 |
34.0 |
35.1 | 34.1 | 32.7 |
Obese (BMI greater than or equal to 30.0) |
22.9 |
30.5 |
30.6 | 32.2 | 34.3 |
Extremely obese (BMI greater than or equal to 40.0) | 2.9 | 4.7 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 5.9 |
NHES I |
NHANES
I |
NHANES
II |
NHANES
III |
NHANES |
NHANES 2001-02 n=3,916 |
NHANES 2003-04 n=3,756 |
NHANES 2005-06 n=3,835 |
|
Overweight (BMI greater than or equal to 25.0 and less than 30.0) | 31.5 | 32.3 | 32.1 | 32.7 | 33.6 | 34.4 | 33.4 | 32.2 |
Obese (BMI greater than or equal to 30.0) | 13.4 |
14.5 |
15.0 |
23.2 |
30.9 |
31.3 | 32.9 | 35.1 |
Extremely obese (BMI greater than or equal to 40.0) | 0.9 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.4 | 5.1 | 6.2 |
NHANES data on the Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Adults-United States, 2003-2004
NHANES data on the Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Adults-United States, 1999-2002
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