Prevalence of severe obesity in adults in the United States

The Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted a nationwide sampling of 12,900 persons aged 20-74 years to determine the prevalence of severe obesity in this country. Medical, dental, nutritional and laboratory examinations were included in the study. The principal technique for determining an individual's leanness or fatness was to measure the distribution of adipose tissue just beneath the skin. The studies showed that for the obese man of average height, observed weight was 50 lbs. above average. Obese women were 67 lbs. above average weight. It is estimated that, on the basis of this study, nearly 30 million American men and 4.5 million American women are obese. Obesity increases with age in women, where no such trend was noted in men