How Prevalent is Obesity in America?

The most recent figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 65% of U.S. adults - or about 129.6 million people - are either overweight or obese.

  • The U.S. Bureau of the Census estimates that approximately 58 million American adults (26 million men and 32 million women) are obese.
  • In addition to decreasing quality of life and increasing the risk of premature death, obesity and overweight cost the Nation an estimated $117 billion in direct medical costs and indirect costs such as lost wages due to illness.
  • Other studies estimate approximately one-third (33.4%) of adults can be defined as obese.
  • Adult men and women are nearly 8 pounds heavier than they were 15 years ago. Mean body mass index (BMI), a standard measure of obesity, has increased from 25.3 to 26.3 kg/m^2.
  • At any given time 33 to 40% of women and 20 to 24% of men are trying to lose weight.

What are the Costs Associated with Obesity?

The health care system of the United States will have spent one trillion dollars on weight-related health problems in 2015. This is enough money to run the City of New York City for 38 years.

  • The cost of obesity to US business in 1998 was estimated to total $115.2 billion. The health-related economic cost of obesity to US business is substantial, representing approximately 8% of total medical care costs.
  • Sustained modest weight loss among obese persons would yield substantial health and economic benefits (American Journal of Public Health 1999;89(10): 1536-42).
  • It was found that as BMI increases, so do the number of sick days, medical claims and health care costs and that the mean annual health care costs for the BMI "at risk" population was $2,274 versus $1,499 for the "not at risk" group (Statistical Bulletin of the Metropolitan Insurance Co. 1999 Jul-Sep;80).