Statistics and Web Resources

Last updated: 09/29/2008

Obesity Statistics

In 1999, an estimated 61 percent of U.S. adults were either overweight or obese.
In 2000, a total of 38.8 million American adults met the classification of obesity.
Today there are nearly twice as many overweight children and almost three times as many overweight adolescents as there were in 1980.
Twenty-six percent of all adult women are obese, while 20.6 percent of men are obese.
Among women, obesity rates are higher among minority women - 39 percent of black women and 36.1 percent of Hispanic women are obese.
Adults aged 55 - 64 years have the greatest percentage of obesity, for both men 27.2 percent) and women (33.7 percent).
Between 1991 and 2000, the greatest increase in obesity has been found in the following groups: 18 to 29 year-olds, those with some college education, Hispanics, those living in the South.
According to The 2000 Behavioral Risk Factor Survey, 49 of West Virginia's 55 counties have obesity rates higher than the U.S. prevalence, and 23 of those counties were significantly higher. The Behavioral Risk Factor Survey - 2000 report can be obtained free of charge from the West Virginia Health Statistics Center.