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Obesity in the United States

Obesity Trends Among U.S. Adults, 2007 | Prevalence of Overweight Among Children and Adolescents | State-Level Estimated Annual Medical Costs of Obesity | Obesity and Disease

(*BMI 30 or higher, or ~30 lbs overweight for 5' 4" person)
Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention, MMWR 2007

To view a CDC powerpoint presentation on obesity trends over the last ten years, click here.

Prevalence of overweight among children and adolescents ages 2-19 years

Age (years)1	1963-65 1966-702	1971-74	1976-80	1988-94	1999-2000	2001-02	2003-04
2-5	-	5%	5%	7.2%	10.3%	10.6%	13.9%
6-11	4.2%	4%	6.5%	11.3%	15.1%	16.3%	18.8%
12-19	4.6%	6.1%	5%	10.5%	14.8%	16.7%	17.4%

¹Excludes pregnant women starting with 1971-74. Pregnancy status not available for 1963-65 and 1966-70.
²Data for 1963-65 are for children 6-11 years of age; data for 1966-70 are for adolescents 12-17 years of age, not 12-19 years.
Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention, NHANES

State-Level Estimated Annual Medical Costs of Obesity

Estimated Adult Obesity-Attributable Percentages and Expenditures, by State (1998–2000)

State	(Millions $)
Alabama	$1320
Alaska	$195
Arizona	$752
Arkansas	$663
California	$7675
Colorado	$874
Connecticut	$856
Delaware	$207
District of Columbia	$372
Florida	$3987
Georgia	$2133
Hawaii	$290
Idaho	$227
Illinois	$3439
Indiana	$1637
Iowa	$783
Kansas	$657
Kentucky	$1163
Louisiana	$1373
Maine	$357
Maryland	$1533
Massachusetts	$1822
Michigan	$2931
Minnesota	$1307
Mississippi	$757
Missouri	$1636
Montana	$175
Nebraska	$454
Nevada	$337
New Hampshire	$302
New Jersey	$2342
New Mexico	$324
New York	$6080
North Carolina	$2138
North Dakota	$209
Oklahoma	$854
Ohio	$3304
Oregon	$781
Pennsylvania	$4138
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island	$305
South Carolina	$1060
South Dakota	$195
Tennessee	$1840
Texas	$5340
Utah	$393
Vermont	$141
Virginia	$1641
Washington	$1330
West Virginia	$588
Wisconsin	$1486
Wyoming	$87
Total	$75,051

Source: Finkelstein, Fiebelkorn, and Wang, 2004.
References
(NHANES) National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2000
Finkelstein, EA, Fiebelkorn, IC, Wang, G. National medical spending attributable to overweight and obesity: How much, and who’s paying? Health Affairs 2003;W3;219–226.
Finkelstein, EA, Fiebelkorn, IC, Wang, G. State-level estimates of annual medical expenditures attributable to obesity. Obesity Research 2004;12(1):18–24.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Surgeon General's call to action to prevent and decrease overweight and obesity. [Rockville, MD]: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Office of the Surgeon General, [2001]. Available from: US GPO, Washington. Wolf AM, Colditz GA. Current estimates of the economic cost of obesity in the United States. Obesity Research.1998;6(2):97–106. Wolf, A. What is the economic case for treating obesity? Obesity Research. 1998;6(suppl)2S–7S.

Overweight and obese individuals are at increased risk for many diseases and health chronic conditions, including the following:

Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Osteoarthritis (a degeneration of cartilage and its underlying bone within a joint)
Dyslipidemia (for example, high total cholesterol or high levels of triglycerides)
Type 2 diabetes
Heart disease
Stroke
Gallbladder disease
Sleep apnea and respiratory problems
Some cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon)

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