The prevalence of obesity among US adults has slightly decreased, with 40.3% estimated to be obese from August 2021 to August 2023, compared to 41.9% from 2017 to 2020.
Despite the decrease, the current obesity rate is higher than that recorded ten years ago, with 37.7% from 2013 to 2014.
Driving the news: There has been an increase in severe obesity rates, rising from 9.2% between 2017-2020 to 9.7% between August 2021 and August 2023, with 100 million American adults affected by obesity and over 20 million with severe obesity.
- Prevalence of severe obesity is higher in women at 12.7% compared to men at 6.7%, with adults aged 40-59 having the highest obesity rate at 46.4%.
- Individuals with a bachelor’s degree or higher education level had the lowest obesity prevalence at 31.6% between August 2021 and August 2023.
- Obesity increases the risk of chronic diseases, with 58% of obese adults having high blood pressure and 23% having diabetes, leading to increased strain on the healthcare system due to higher medical costs associated with obesity-related conditions.
