Obesity Epidemic in America Going for the 3 Increases: Increase in Health, Increase in Happiness & Increase in Energy Strategies for Success in Weight Management By: James J. Messina, Ph.D.

Obesity Increase in United States Obesity has been increasing at an alarming rate in the United States since 1960 By 1999-number of overweight people had risen from 44% to 61%of national population, while number of obese people doubled from 13% to 27% 34% of U.S. adults aged 20 to 74 years are overweight & additional 27% are obese 13% of U.S. children are obese with both poor diet & lack of exercise blamed.

What is considered Overweight or Obese? Anyone with a body mass index (a ratio between your height and weight) of 25 or above -- that’s someone, for example, who is 5-foot-4 and 145 pounds -- is considered overweight, according to National Institutes of Health Anyone with a body mass index of 30 or above -- such as someone who is 5-foot-6 and 186 pounds -- is considered obese

Obesity Facts 300,000 people die each year due to obesity-related causes Obesity is 2 nd leading cause of death after smoking Being overweight or obese increases the risk of hypertension, heart disease, stroke, diabetes & some cancers

What is the cost of obesity? Americans spend more than $33 billion a year on weight-loss products & services However economic cost of obesity in the United States was about $117 billion in 2000 It is disquieting to note that obesity is a risk factor for four of the six most frequent causes of death

Latest Findings on Obesity Epidemic Americans born during early 1960s are likely to become obese earlier in life than those born in late 1950s Black women & Hispanic men face greatest overall risks for obesity Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reported in a health study released on June 17, 2002

Other findings from North Carolina Study: Study of 9,179 people now in their late 30s & early 40s found subjects born in 1964 were consistently heavier at specific ages than those born eight years earlier in 1957 The younger group became obese while in their late 20s — 26 percent to 28 percent sooner than the older group, which staved off obesity until their early to mid-30s

Other findings from North Carolina Study: People who were overweight by the time they reached the age of 21 were far more likely to be obese by age 37 Women needed to be only mildly overweight to be at risk

Other findings from North Carolina Study: Black women become obese more than twice as fast as white women Hispanic men reach obesity 2.5 times as fast as non-Hispanic white men Black men & white men tended to gain weight at about same rate until age of 28, after which blacks became obese 2.2 times as rapidly as whites

Other findings from North Carolina Study: Overall more than ¼ subjects-enrolled in U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ National Longitudinal Survey of Youth in 1979, were obese by 37 Most significant finding is fairly dramatic shift in how quickly obesity developed in younger group It’s over 8 years, but if trend continues, could have implications for country’s health

Implications of this finding: By becoming obese at a younger age, you may be developing other problems at a younger age as well Other obesity related problems are: hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, cancer & depression Younger age groups may be more vulnerable to obesity because of changes in diet & exercise habits

Implications of this finding: Obesity is difficult & costly to treat, this new problem poses a dangerously unhealthy pattern Overweight children are at increased risk for becoming obese adults & obese adults are, in turn, at risk for raising obese children

How successful are dieters today? About 45% of women & 25% of men are trying to lose weight at any one time, but only 1/5 are using recommended combination of fewer calories & increased exercise-so they fail

What should dieters be doing? Choose low-fat, lean foods from the five major food groups Eat sensible portions Use fats, oils, sweets and salt sparingly Total fat intake should be no more than 30% of daily calories Exercise moderately for at least 30 minutes on most days Lose weight gradually-aim to lose about 10% of your body weight over 6 months