A Report from the 2008 Colorado Health Report Card:

Summary of Findings:

An accumulating body of evidence demonstrates that obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 27 percent of adults, or almost 60 million people, are obese. If current trends continue, two-thirds of adults will be overweight or obese by 2015. Obesity increases the chances of developing a multitude of chronic diseases, including hypertension, asthma, cardiovascular disease and diabetes—all of which contribute to high medical costs and can lead to premature death. This extensive review of the medical literature has identified factors that contribute to the likelihood of becoming obese. The most predominant of these are modifiable lifestyle behaviors: Most Americans expend fewer calories than they consume. This decreased caloric expenditure is due to increasingly sedentary lifestyles and insufficient exercise.

Environmental factors also contribute to obesity, particularly among poorer, less-educated people. In low income communities, fast food is much easier to find—and more affordable—than fresh produce. People living in underserved communities have limited access to playgrounds and safe recreational facilities where they can engage in physical activity. Data from the 2007 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) indicate that adults who attended college were significantly more likely to be of normal weight than adults who did not finish high school.
Some research suggests that obesity may have a genetic component. Fifty chromosomal locations on the human genome have been identified as potential causal genes. This line of research suggests the potential for gene-based interventions that may be effective for treating and preventing obesity.

Ethnicity is another predictor of obesity. Data from CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) reveal that blacks and Hispanics are more likely to be obese than whites and that obesity rates are lowest in Asians. These disparities may be explained in part by differences in cultural perspectives on weight and body image.

This literature review also identified weight-loss interventions that have proven successful among obese people. The majority of these interventions focus on diet and exercise. Obese and overweight children lose weight—often while improving their academic performance—when nutritional choices at school improve and physical education time increases. Recent research on innovative interventions that focus on the entire family or on improving the environment also looks promising.

More information on this topic can be found in the News Section of the Colorado Health (coloradohealth.org) website.