According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the terms “overweight” and “obesity” refer to body weight that’s greater than what is considered healthy for a certain height. The most common measure of overweight and obesity is body mass index (BMI).
The following chart is reproduced from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
♦ 69% of U.S. adults are overweight (including obesity) [source]
♦ 35.1% of U.S. adults are obese [source]
♦ The estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the U.S. in 2008 was $147 billion [source]
♦ The 2008 medical costs for people who were obese were $1,429 higher than those of normal weight [source]
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References
Finkelstein, E.A., Trogdon, J.G., Cohen, J.W. & Dietz, W. (2009). Annual medical spending attributable to obesity: Payer-And-Service-Specific Estimates. Health Affairs, 28(5): w822-w831.
National Center for Health Statistics. (2014). Health, United States, 2013: With special feature on prescription drugs. Hyattsville, MD.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2012). How are overweight and obesity diagnosed? National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (Website).
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2012). What are overweight and obesity? National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (Website).
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