It’s no secret that obesity rates are up in this country. But when I see how much we used to weigh 40 years ago compared to what we weigh now, it still amazes me. Check out the weigh we were…

Men

The average weight for men aged 20-74 went up dramatically: from 166.3 pounds in 1960 to 191 pounds in 2002

Men’s average weight by age in 2002 compared to 1960

• Men aged 20-39 were almost 20 pounds heavier

• Men aged 40-49 were nearly 27 pounds heavier

• Men aged 50-59 were nearly 28 pounds heavier

• Men aged 60-74 were almost 33 pounds heavier

Women

The average weight for women aged 20-74 went up, as well: from 140.2 pounds in 1960 to 164.3 pounds in 2002

Women’s average weight by age in 2002 compared to 1960

• Women aged 20-29 were nearly 29 pounds heavier

• Women aged 40-49 were about 25½ pounds heavier

• Women aged 60-74 were about 17½ pounds heavier

Children

The average weights for children are also higher:

• A 10 year-old-boy in 1963 was 74.2 pounds; by 2002 he weighed nearly 85 pounds

• A 10-year-old girl in 1963 was 77.4 pounds; by 2002 she weighed nearly 88 pounds

• A 15-year-old boy weighed 135.5 pounds in 1966; by 2002 he weighed 150.3 pounds

• A 15-year-old girl weighed 124.2 pounds in 1966; by 2002 she weighed 134.4 pounds

Source: National Center for Health Statistics

If you want more info, check out this post, What is the average height and weight in the U.S.?

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Is the bad economy making us fat? Dr. Mitchell Roslin, chief of obesity surgery at New York’s Lenox Hill Hospital, tells Newsweek, as people eat cheaper, more fattening foods, they are so concerned trying to make ends meet that they are not thinking about how it’s going to hurt their health in the future. He and other health experts are concerned the already high obesity rates – 35 percent, according to the CDC – will get even higher, as will the complications that come with it.

Are you eating cheaper, unhealthy foods because of the economy?

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Make sure to keep a close eye on your little ones’ weight. A new report from Harvard University finds babies who gain weight quickly during their first six months are more prone to obesity when they’re toddlers. Researchers say the results of their study show how important it is to have healthy eating habits early. They suggest watching children while they eat for cues about when they are full and encouraging them to drink plenty of water may help control their weight.

Obesity rates in children have doubled in the last 20 years – almost one-third of American kids are now either overweight or obese.

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Remember the study a couple of months ago about how fast-food restaurants near schools could lead to fatter kids? Now another study seems to echo those results, saying a fast-food restaurant within about 500 feet of a school may lead to at least a five percent increase in the obesity rate at that school. Researchers from Columbia University and the University of California, Berkeley, say a ban on fast foods near schools could greatly reduce obesity rates among students.

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Last week we found out obesity rates have tripled in young adults. Now a new study in the British Medical Journal finds obese 18-year-olds are twice as likely to die prematurely compared to normal-weight teens. And researchers say teenage obesity has the same risk of premature death as smoking ten cigarettes a day.

So, do you think obesity should be tackled like smoking?

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Obesity rates are staggering in this country. About 30 years ago, eight-percent of young adults (aged 18-29) in the U.S. were obese. Now it’s three times as high – 24-percent. That’s the latest from a new report just out from the National Center for Health Statistics.

Rates up in school-age kids, too

The report also shows the prevalence of overweight went up in school-age children between 1988–1994 and 2005–2006:

• Among 6–11 year-olds, from 11 percent to 15 percent

• Among 12–19 years-olds, from 11 percent to 18 percent

Glimmer of hope?

Obesity rates do not seem to be increasing as quickly as they did in past decades. But they are still high – over one-third of adults age 20 and over were considered obese in 2005–2006.

What about exercise?

In 2005-2006, one-third of adults age 18 years and over exercised regularly. About one-fifth did strength training.

What to do?

Talking to your kids about their weight can be a touchy subject, but with stats like these, it’s critical to do so to help keep them from serious illnesses that can come with obesity like heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. I talked to two experts about what to say… and what not to say. I learned a lot from these interviews and hope they help you, too.

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Obesity kills more than 25,000 people a year in the United States. People who are overweight or obese are more likely to develop serious health problems including the following:

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Type 2 diabetes
• Coronary heart disease
• Stroke
• Gallbladder disease
• Osteoarthritis
• Sleep apnea and respiratory problems
• Some cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon)

Obesity is a growing health crisis in the United States that has gotten much worse over the past 20 years. The latest data from the National Center for Health Statistics shows about 66 percent of adults ages 20 and older are either overweight or obese. And the percentage of young people who are overweight has more than tripled since 1980 – about 17 percent of children and teens ages 2-19 are now considered overweight.

In 2007, Colorado was the only state that had obesity rates less than 20 percent. The obesity levels in 30 states were 25 percent or higher – three of these states (Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee) were at 30 percent or more.

Below is a map showing obesity rates in each of the 50 states:

Percent of Obese (BMI > 30) in U.S. Adults

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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The obesity epidemic is getting worse. A new study from the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) finds adult obesity rates went up in 31 states last year.

The fourth annual F as in Fat report also shows obesity rates increased for the second year in a row in 22 states; no states decreased.

Topping the list is Mississippi with the highest rate of adult obesity in the country for the third year in a row. It is also the first state to reach a rate of over 30 percent. And again, Colorado is the leanest state… but its adult obesity rate increased over the past year – from 16.9 to 17.6 percent.

The report also shows ten of the 15 states with the highest rates of adult obesity are in the South. And the rates of adult obesity are now more than 25 percent in 19 states – up from 14 states last year.

Children are not spared from the epidemic. The study finds the rates of overweight kids ages 10 to 17 range from a high of 22.8 percent in Washington, D.D. to a low of 8.5 percent in Utah. Eight of the ten states with the highest rates of overweight children are in the South.

Other findings from the report:

• Twenty-two percent of American adults report that they do not engage in any physical
activity. Mississippi has the highest rate of inactivity at 31.6 percent and Minnesota had the
lowest rate of inactivity at 15.4 percent.
• Seventeen states require their school lunches, breakfasts and snacks to meet higher nutritional
standards than the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) requires (6 states enacted new
laws in 2006-07).
• Twenty-two states have set nutritional standards for foods sold in vending machines, à la
carte, in school stores, or in bake sales in schools (9 states enacted new laws in 2006-07), and
26 states limit when and where these foods may be sold on school property beyond federal
requirements (6 states enacted new laws in 2006-07).
• While every state has school physical education requirements, many are limited in scope or
are not enforced.
• Sixteen states screen students’ body mass index (BMI) or fitness status and confidentially
provide information to parents or guardians (8 states enacted new laws in 2006-07).

You can see the full report, including state rankings in all categories, at the TFAH’s Web site.

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