The obesity rate among US adults declined in 2023 for the first time in over a decade, as per a study published in the JAMA Health Forum.
The big picture: The study revealed that obesity nationwide decreased from 46% in 2022 to 45.6% in 2023, marking a significant drop.
- Notably, obesity saw a substantial decline in the South, including among women and older adults aged 66 to 75. However, this trend was not consistent across all regions.
- There were significant decreases in obesity rates among Black Americans, but increases were observed among Asian Americans, highlighting the varying trends in different racial groups.
Go deeper: The research involved over 167 million adults from 2013 to 2023, analyzing data from individuals of diverse age groups, races, sexes, ethnicities, and regions through their BMI figures.
- Although BMI may not be the perfect metric for examining body fat variations, it remains one of the most correlated figures to analyze body fat at a population level.
- The study’s findings contrast with previous CDC reports, indicating that obesity rates in the US had not been growing; however, nearly 40.3% of adults were obese, slightly lower than the previous three years.
