Obesity Levels in U.S. Underestimated
September 18th, 2009
Obesity in the United States is significantly underestimated. A recent study analyzed data from health surveys, which are used to estimate obesity levels in states. Because people tend to provide incorrect information about their weight and height, especially in telephone surveys, the Harvard researchers concluded that estimates of obesity in individual states have been to low, by 50 percent.
Obesity is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality, causing some 2.6 million deaths worldwide each year. In the U.S., obesity data is obtained using information gathered by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), which uses telephone interviews. Data is also collected using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which utilizes in-person interviews.
Lead author Majid Ezzati, Associate Professor of International Health and his colleagues analyzed and compared data from the two surveys in order to determine the level of bias when people self-report their height and weight, especially in a telephone interview.
Based on this new understanding of the survey data, the researchers found that, on average, women tend to underestimate their weight while men do not. In 2002, the corrected prevalence of obesity in the U.S. population was 28.7 percent for adult men and 34.5 percent for adult women, more than 50 percent higher than previously estimated.
The research, which presents the first corrected estimates of obesity for individual states, found that Southern states have the highest levels of obesity in the country.
Using the researchers’ corrected data, the highest obesity levels for men were found in Texas (31 percent) and Mississippi (30 percent). For women, the highest levels of obesity were found in Texas (37 percent), Louisiana (37 percent), Mississippi (37 percent), District of Columbia (37 percent), Alabama (37 percent), and South Carolina (36 percent).
States with the lowest prevalence of corrected obesity for men were Colorado (18 percent), District of Columbia (21 percent) and Montana (21 percent); for women Colorado (24 percent), Montana (25 percent) and Massachusetts (27 percent).
“The results show that there are clear geographical patterns of obesity,” Ezzati says. “Using this data, national and state public health institutions can better target resources and programs toward combating the growing epidemic.”
For individuals experiencing weight gain or difficulties in maintaining a healthy weight, acupuncture combined with a reduced calorie diet and exercise can aid in achieving permanent weight loss.
Acupuncture can improve digestion and absorption while suppressing appetite and minimizing overeating. Acupuncture can also speed the metabolic rate and reduce the stress that can lead to adverse eating behaviors.
For information about acupuncture for weight loss and weight management call Dr. Richard Browne, Acupuncture Physician, at (305) 595-9500.
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