State-Specific Prevalence of Obesity Among Adults — United States, 2005

Obesity, one of the 10 leading U.S. health indicators, is associated with increased risk for hypertension, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers. A Healthy People 2010 objective is to reduce to 15% the prevalence of obesity among adults in the United States (objective 19-2). Both national-level data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and state-level data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) indicate that the prevalence of obesity among adults continued to increase during the past decade. In 2003, one study estimated that state-specific, obesity-attributable medical expenditures ranged from $87 million in Wyoming to $7.7 billion in California. To assess the prevalence of obesity among adults by state and demographic characteristics since 1995, data were analyzed from the 1995, 2000, and 2005 BRFSS surveys. The results of these analyses indicated that 23.9% of U.S. adults were obese in 2005, and the prevalence of obesity increased during 1995-2005 in all states. To reverse this trend, a sustained and effective public health response is needed, including surveillance, research, policies, and programs directed at improving environmental factors, increasing awareness, and changing behaviors to increase physical activity and decrease calorie intake.