1, 2, 3 push

7/19/2008

Not to put you off your breakfast, but more Americans are reporting that they are obese, according to figures released by the Centers for Disease Control. Between 2005 and 2007, the number of U.S. adults who self-reported they were obese increased nearly 2 percent.

Given that obesity is a major risk factor for chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, stroke, and heart disease, this upward trend in a national epidemic is discouraging if not frightening.

The CDC data comes from a state-based telephone survey of adults aged 18 years and older with more than 350,000 adults interviewed each year. From this sample, it is estimated that 25.6 percent of adults in this country are obese. Obesity is defined as a body mass index of 30 or above.

If it's any consolation, this part of the country isn't No. 1 in obesity, despite cheese steaks, fries on sandwiches, and the like. It's the South that leads the fattest of the fat, with 27 percent of respondents classified as obese.

But, in truth, the news is bad all round. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have failed to achieve the goal of the national program known as Healthy People 2010 to reduce obesity prevalence to 15 percent or less. Maybe you should push away from the table - now.