The Epidemiology of Obesity

In the United States, obesity among adults and overweight among children and adolescents have increased markedly since 1980. Among adults, obesity is defined as a body mass index of 30 or greater. Among children and adolescents, overweight is defined as a body mass index for age at or above the 95th percentile of a specified reference population. In 2003–2004, 32.9% of adults 20–74 years old were obese and more than 17% of teenagers (age, 12–19...