Obesity is a growing national epidemic. Approximately 127 million adults in the United States are overweight, 60 million are obese, and 9 million are severely obese.1 From 1976 to 2004, the percent of adults (age 20 to 74 years) in the United States who were obese (BMI ≥ 30) more than doubled from 15 to 32.9 percent.2 People who are significantly overweight or obese face serious health consequences, including increased risk for premature death and risk for other serious health issues, such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and sleep apnea.1,3
Many of these individuals are cycling through ineffective diets and often fighting life-threatening co-morbidities as a result of their obesity. The vicious cycle of dieting often leaves many individuals feeling so helpless that despite a concentrated effort to lose weight, they are unable to live life without obesity.
This chronic disease is caused by any one or a combination of environmental (social and cultural), genetic, physiologic, metabolic, behavioral and psychological factors.4,5
Obesity has become a national public health issue with an estimated healthcare cost of $117 billion in the United States in 2000.6 These costs are not expected to decrease anytime soon. A recent RAND study published in Public Health reports that the prevalence of American adults who are more than 100 pounds overweight, classified with severe or morbid obesity, have more serious health problems and are increasing at a much faster rate than the prevalence of moderate obesity.7
People who are significantly overweight or obese face serious health consequences, including increased risk for premature death and risk for other serious health issues, such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and sleep apnea.1,3
Obesity is considered the second leading cause of preventable death1 even though more than three-quarters of obese Americans say they have healthy eating habits and about half say they exercise three or more times a week.8
Unfortunately treating obesity is a challenge; the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has reported that people in weight-loss programs only lose about 10 percent of their body weight, and gain most of it back within five years.9
To evaluate the impact of obesity on your life, complete the Moment of Truth Self-Assessment Tool.
1 American Obesity Association. AOA Fact Sheets. Health effects of obesity. Available at http://www.obesity.org/subs/fastfacts/obesity_US.shtml.
2 CDC - National Center for Health Statistics. Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Adults: United States, 2003-2004. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hestats/overweight/overwght_adult_03.htm. Accessed 3/8/07
3 Ahroni JH, Montgomery KF, Watkins BM. Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding: Weight Loss, Co-morbidities, Medication Usage and Quality of Life at One Year," Obesity Surgery 2005; 15:641-647.
4 American Obesity Association. Obesity Surgery. Available at http://www.obesity.org/treatment/obesity.shtml. Accessed 1/18/07.
5 CDC. Diseases and Conditions. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/node.do/id/0900f3ec8000e035. Accessed 3/9/07.
6 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Surgeon General's Call To Action To Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity in 2001. http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/pdf/CalltoAction.pdf. Accessed 2/23/07
7 Sturm R. Increases in morbid obesity in the USA: 2000-2005. Public Health (2007), doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2007.01.006
8 Lifestyle and Obesity. How occassional indulgences shape a nation's waistline. Thomson Medstat Research Brief. July 2006. Available at http://www.medstat.com/uploadedFiles/docs/Research%20Brief--Lifestyle%20and%20Obesity.pdf. Access 1/18/07.
9 NIH Technology Assessment Conference Panel. Methods for voluntary weight loss and control. Ann Intern Med 1993; 119 (7 pt 2):764
