Recent Decade Saw Rise in Number of Adults With Severe Obesity

THURSDAY, Feb. 20, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The number of U.S. adults with severe obesity increased from 2013 to 2023, according to a research letter published online Feb. 13 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Samuel D. Emmerich, D.V.M., from the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Maryland, and colleagues used data from 41,449 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013 to 2014 to August 2021 to August 2023) to examine the prevalence of obesity in the United States.

The researchers found that among children aged younger than 24 months, high weight for length did not change during the study period (prevalence, 8.1 percent). Overall obesity increased annually by an average of 0.44 percentage points among children and adolescents to 21.1 percent. Among adults, obesity did not change in any sex or age group except in adults aged 40 to 59 years (overall prevalence, 40.3 percent). Among adults, severe obesity increased annually by an average of 0.23 percentage points to 9.4 percent. Women and adults aged 40 to 59 years experienced increases in severe obesity. In August 2021 to August 2023, the prevalence of high waist circumference was 57.6 percent.

“From 2013 to 2014 to August 2021 to August 2023, there were small increases in the percentage of children and adolescents with obesity, as well as in adults with severe obesity (but not obesity),” the authors write.

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