HYATTSVILLE, Md., Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Thirty-three percent of U.S. adults age 20 and older are overweight, 35.7 percent are obese and 6.3 percent are extremely obese, researchers say.
Cheryl D. Fryar, Margaret D. Carroll and Cynthia L. Ogden of the Division of Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys at the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, used data from the 2009-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
The data showed for adults age 20 and older an increase in U.S. obesity from 23 percent in 1988-1994 to approximately 36 percent in 2009-2010.
Among women there was no significant change observed between 1999-2000 and 2009-2010. However, among men, there was a significant linear increase between 1999-2000 and 2009-2010, but no significant change between 2005-2006 and 2009-2010.
Although the prevalence of obesity among adults age 20-74 more than doubled between 1976-1980 and 2009-2010, the prevalence of people overweight remained stable during the same period, the study said.