TUESDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Six in 10 American adults are overweight or obese, with almost all states reporting an obesity prevalence of 20 percent or more, according to a report in the Sept. 15 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention evaluated self-reported weight and height data gathered from the 1995-2005 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which included data from the 50 states.
About 60.5 percent of adults were overweight or obese with a body mass index (BMI) higher than 25. Nearly one in four adults (23.9 percent) were considered obese in 2005, with a BMI greater than 30. In every state, the proportion of obese adults increased significantly from 1995 to 2005. In 1995, no state had more than 20 percent prevalence of obese adults. However, by 2005, 46 states reported adult obesity prevalence higher than 20 percent, and obesity prevalence soared over 30 percent in three states (Louisiana, Mississippi and West Virginia).
"To reduce obesity in the United States, an effective public health response will require a robust combination of policies, programs and supportive environments created through the combined activities of health care agencies, government, media, business and industry, communities, schools, families and individuals. In addition, monitoring and evaluation systems are needed to ensure effectiveness of both new and existing interventions and to validate their widening use," the report concludes.
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