• Ending Childhood Hunger by 2015
  • Seven Essential Strategies
  • Campaign to End Childhood Hunger
• Building Economic Security
  • SNAP/Food Stamps Provide Real Stimulus
• Fighting Obesity and Hunger
  • Overweight and Obesity Definitions
  • Overweight and Obesity in the U.S.
  • Overweight and Obesity State and Local Data
  • Consequences of Adult Overweight and Obesity
  • Consequences of Childhood Overweight and Obesity
  • Factors Contributing to Overweight and Obesity
  • Relationship Between Poverty and Overweight or Obesity
  • Relationship Between Hunger and Overweight or Obesity
  • Why Low-Income and Food Insecure People are Vulnerable to Overweight and Obesity
  • Role of the Federal Nutrition Programs in Combating Overweight and Obesity
  • Additional Resources
  • References - Fighting Obesity and Hunger
• Addressing Senior Hunger
  • Seniors and SNAP/Food Stamps
  • Improving Participation among Seniors

Overweight and Obesity in the U.S.

Obesity rates have more than doubled in adults and children since the 1970’s (National Center for Health Statistics, 2009). While recent estimates suggest that the overall rates of obesity have plateaued, except for the very heaviest boys, obesity is widespread and continues to be a leading public health problem in the U.S. (Flegal et al., 2010; Ogden et al., 2010a). Plus, substantial disparities exist based on demographics (e.g., race-ethnicity, gender), geographic region, and socioeconomic status (SES). See the section on the Relationship Between Poverty and Overweight or Obesity for more information on SES disparities.

Adult Overweight and Obesity in the U.S.

Two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese (Flegal et al., 2010). In general, rates of overweight and obesity are higher for African-American and Hispanic women than Caucasian women, fairly similar for men across racial-ethnic groups, higher in the South and Midwest, and tend to increase with age (Flegal et al., 2010; Gregg et al., 2009; Sherry et al., 2010). Research also shows that the heaviest Americans have become even heavier the past decade (Beydoun & Wang, 2009).

Racial-Ethnic Disparities
Recent national data show that 78.2 percent of Black women and 76.1 percent of Hispanic women are overweight or obese compared to 61.2 percent of White women (Flegal et al., 2010). In addition, almost half of Black women are obese (versus 37.3 percent of Black men and 33.0 percent of White women) (Flegal et al., 2010). Extreme obesity continues to be higher among women (7.2 percent) than men (4.2 percent), especially among Black women who have double the rates of extreme obesity as White and Hispanic women (14.2 percent versus 6.4 percent and 7.0 percent) (Flegal et al., 2010). Rates of overweight or obesity are fairly similar for White, Black, and Hispanic men at 72.6 percent, 68.5 percent, and 79.3 percent, respectively (Flegal et al., 2010).

The table below highlights these and other selected data on adult overweight and obesity from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

U.S. Prevalence of Adult Overweight and Obesity (NHANES 2007-2008)

Source: Flegal, K. M., Carroll, M. D., Ogden, C. L., & Curtin, L. R. (2010). Prevalence and trends in obesity among U.S. adults, 1999-2008. Journal of the American Medical Association, 303(3), 235-241.

Childhood Overweight and Obesity in the U.S.

About a quarter of 2-5 year olds and one-third of school-age children (including adolescents) are overweight or obese in the U.S. (Ogden et al., 2010). Almost 31 percent of low-income preschoolers are overweight or obese (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010). Overweight and obesity rates tend to be higher and have increased more rapidly over time among African-American and Hispanic children than Caucasian children (Freedman et al., 2006; Ogden et al., 2010). The prevalence is also higher among children living in the Southern region of the U.S. (e.g., Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky) (Singh et al., 2008).

Racial-Ethnic Disparities
Based on recent national figures, 29.2 percent of White girls are overweight or obese compared to 39.0 percent of Black and 36.4 percent of Hispanic girls (Ogden et al., 2010). About 40 percent of Hispanic boys are overweight or obese, compared to 33.0 percent and 29.5 percent of Black and White boys, respectively (Ogden et al., 2010). Rates are the highest, and very alarming, for 6-11 year old Hispanic boys (43.7 percent are overweight or obese) and 12-19 year old Black girls (46.3 percent are overweight or obese) (Ogden et al., 2010).

While little national data are available on Native American children, several studies have found substantially higher obesity rates compared to the national average and other racial-ethnic groups (Smith et al., 2009; Zephier et al., 2006). For example, obesity rates are twice as high for Native American preschoolers than for White or Asian preschoolers (Anderson & Whitaker, 2009). In addition, while obesity risk tends to rise among adult immigrants as they become more acculturated to the American diet and health behaviors (Singh et al., 2011), there is evidence that children of the least acculturated immigrants have a greater risk of obesity than children of natives or settled immigrants, especially among boys, Whites, and Hispanics (Van Hook et al., 2009).

The following table provides some of the most recent data on childhood overweight and obesity from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

U.S. Prevalence of Childhood Overweight and Obesity (NHANES 2007-2008)

Source: Ogden, C. L., Carroll, M. D., Curtin, L. R., Lamb, M. M., & Flegal, K. M. (2010). Prevalence of high body mass index in U.S. children and adolescents, 2007-2008. Journal of the American Medical Association, 91(3), 519-527.