Severe obesity increasing in US: Research

Severe obesity is becoming a bigger problem in the United States, according to new data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

The data found that the prevalence of severe obesity in adults increased 2 percent within the last decade, rising from 7.7 percent to 9.7 percent. There was no significant change in the age-adjusted prevalence of obesity, according to the research.

Severe obesity in adults was 9.4 percent. Women had a higher prevalence than men for each age group, the research showed.

According to the survey, the prevalence of obesity was lower in adults with a bachelor’s degree. It was more prevalent in adults with less education.

Obesity is a chronic condition that can lead to other health problems, including hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke and certain cancers, the report noted.

The study defined obesity by body mass index (BMI), which it noted has limitations as body fat may vary by sex, age and race. BMI also does not measure body fat directly or provide information on body fat distribution, it noted.

The data examined obesity in people from studies in 2013-14, 2017-20 and August 2021 to August 2023.

The prevalence of obesity in adults from August 2021 to August 2023 was 40.3 percent and was higher in adults aged 40 to 59 than people aged 20 to 39 or those 60 years and older, the data showed.

The research also showed that the prevalence of obesity and severe obesity between surveys from 2017 to 2020 and August 2021 to August 2023 were not significant.

Data from the August 2021 to August 2023 NHANES was used to estimate the prevalence of obesity and severe obesity and to test for differences between subgroups. Data from different NHANES cycles were used to address decade trends.