Overweight and Obesity Prevention:
The Importance of a Healthy Weight
Why are Overweight and Obesity Public Health Concerns?
The proportion of children classified as overweight or obese is growing at an alarming rate in the United States and in Minnesota.
Prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents in the United States quadrupled among 6-11 year-olds and more than tripled among 12-19 year-olds between 1971-74 and 1999-2002 according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
The increasing trends in overweight and obesity are similar in adults across the United States and in Minnesota.
Data from the NHANES surveys show that among adults aged 20–74 years the prevalence of obesity increased from 15.0% (in the 1976–1980 survey) to 32.9% (in the 2003–2004 survey).
This increasing rate of overweight and obesity threatens the health of our children, youth, adults and seniors, placing them at much greater risk for development and early onset of a wide variety of chronic diseases and health conditions.
Being overweight or obese increases the risk of many diseases and health conditions, including the following:
- Hypertension
- Dyslipidemia (for example, high total cholesterol or high levels of triglycerides)
- Type 2 diabetes
- Coronary heart disease
- Stroke
- Gallbladder disease
- Depression
- Osteoarthritis
- Sleep apnea and respiratory problems
- Some cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon)
The obesity epidemic appears in both boys and girls, men and women, and among all racial and ethnic groups.
National data demonstrates that certain groups, including Hispanics, non-Hispanic Blacks, Native Americans and individuals in low socioeconomic groups, are particularly affected by obesity. Disparities appear to be growing over time.
Although one of the national health objectives for the year 2010 is to reduce the prevalence of obesity, current data indicate that the situation is worsening rather than improving.