MHA Press Room

CDC releases county-level obesity, diabetes estimates

Wide sections of the Southeast, Appalachia, and some tribal lands in the West and Northern Plains have the nation’s highest rates of obesity and diabetes, according to estimates released Nov. 19 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In many counties in those regions, obesity rates exceed 30% and diabetes rates 10%, according to the agency’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

CDC said the data can help public health agencies, health care providers and policymakers focus prevention efforts on high-risk regions. Nationally, the agency estimates that 26% of adults are obese and 8% of residents have diabetes.

More children hospitalized with obesity

The number of children hospitalized with a diagnosis of obesity nearly doubled between 1999 and 2005, to 42,429, according to a study published online July 9 by Health Affairs. Over the period, obesity-related hospitalizations increased 8.8% per year among 2-5 year olds, 10.4% per year among 6-11 year olds, and 11.4% per year among adolescents.

The total cost of obesity-related hospitalizations for children increased from $125.9 million in 2001 to $237.6 million in 2005, measured in 2005 dollars. The data are from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Nationwide Inpatient Sample.

Adult obesity, related health care costs climbing

Spending on health care for obese U.S. adults rose by 82% between 2001 and 2006, to $303 billion, according to a new report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Over the same period, the number of obese adults increased by nearly 11 million, to 58.9 million people. The findings are from the agency’s Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.

In related news, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the proportion of obese U.S. adults rose by 0.5 percentage point in 2008 to 26.1%. “As obesity increases among all age groups, we are seeing chronic diseases in much younger adults compared to a few decades ago," said William Dietz, M.D., director of CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity. "For example, we now see young adults who suffer from heart disease risk factors and other conditions such as type 2 diabetes that were unheard of in the past."

Report: Obesity rates continue to climb

Adult obesity rates increased in 23 states in the past year, according to a report released July 1 by Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Mississippi had the highest rate of obese adults (32.5%) and Colorado the lowest rate (18.9%).

Mississippi also had the highest rate of obese and overweight children (44.4%). Childhood obesity rates have more than tripled since 1980.

“Reversing the childhood obesity epidemic is a critical ingredient for delivering a healthier population and making health reform work,” said RWJF president and CEO Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D. Children with a BMI above the 95th percentile for their age are considered obese. Adult obesity is defined as having a body mass index greater than 30, about 30 pounds overweight for a 5’ 4” person.

Study: Adult obesity climbs in 37 states

Adult obesity rates increased in 37 states last year, according to a report released Aug. 20 by Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. More than one in four adults were obese in 28 states, up from 19 states in 2006, based on a three-year average of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey. The report calls for a national strategy to combat obesity that includes investing in community-based disease-prevention programs, encouraging workplace wellness programs, and requiring insurers to cover obesity-prevention services.

“We must work together, governments, schools and communities, to improve nutrition and increase physical activity for all ages,” said RWJF President and CEO Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D. “We must ensure that strong policies are implemented and enforced in every state, not only to help reverse existing obesity rates, but to prevent obesity among our nation’s children – and generations to come.”

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The proportion of U.S. adults who self-reported being obese increased 1.7%, from 23.9% in 2005 to 25.6% in 2007, according to a report released July 17 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report is based on data collected from more than 350,000 adults aged 18 and older through the CDC’s annual Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

According to the survey, the prevalence of obesity increases with age: 19.1% of adults aged 19-29 identified as obese in 2007, while more than 30% of adults aged 50-59 identified as obese. Obesity also is more prominent in the South, where 27% of adults classified themselves as obese.

“Obesity is a major risk factor for a number of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke,” said Deb Galuska, associate director for science for CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity. “These diseases can be very costly for states and the country as a whole.”

Study: Obesity associated with increased pregnancy care

Obesity during pregnancy is associated with greater use of health care services and longer hospital stays, according to a study in the April 2 New England Journal of Medicine. The authors conclude that the finding has substantial economic implications, given that one-quarter of U.S. births are to obese women.

The study analyzed 13,442 pregnancies resulting in birth between 2001 and 2004. Most of the longer hospital stays for obese women, as defined by body mass index, were related to higher cesarean delivery rates and obesity-related conditions such as gestational or pre-existing diabetes and hypertensive disorders.

Vicki Seltzer, M.D., chair of AHA's Section for Maternal and Child Health, said, “The costs documented in this study underscore again the importance of obesity prevention and treatment, preconception education and care, and initiating pregnancy in optimal health and at a healthy BMI.” Seltzer is chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, NY.

US obesity rates seem to have leveled

Obesity rates in U.S. women seem to be staying level, and the rate in men may be hitting a plateau now, too, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Nov. 28. Adult obesity rates for both sexes seem to be holding steady at about 34 percent. In 1980, the rate was 15 percent.

The report also found that about a third of obese adults had not been told by a doctor or health care provider that they were overweight.

Obesity climbs in 31 states

Adult obesity rates rose in 31 states last year, according to a new report by Trust for America’s Health. Adult obesity rates exceeded 25% in 19 states, up from 14 last year and 9 in 2005.

Mississippi ranked highest for adult obesity again this year. Ten of the 15 states with the highest adult obesity rates were in the South. Overweight rates for children ranged from a high of 22.8% in Washington, DC to a low of 8.5% in Utah.

Eight of the 10 states with highest rates of overweight children were in the South. The organization calls for a national strategy to combat obesity that defines clear roles for states and localities and engages private industry and community groups, among other recommendations.

Severe obesity rate jumps 50% over five years, study finds

The proportion of Americans who are 100 pounds or more overweight increased by 50% from 2000-2005, twice as fast as the growth in moderate obesity, according to a new RAND Corp. study. About 3% of Americans are severely obese, based on the study of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey.

The largest increases in obesity for the past 20 years have been at the severe end, and rising use of bariatric surgery has made no noticeable dent, the study says.