The number of overweight people in the United States has stagnated, but the number of people who are severely overweight has increased.
Statistics from the US government agency CDC have shown that between August 2021 and August 2023, the rate of overweight people was approximately 40.3 percent.
In 2020, the rate of overweight people was 41.9 percent, writes the New York Post.
The percentage difference in the rate of stagnation is too small to be considered a change for the US epidemic, but it nevertheless marks a difference from previous years.
Since 2011, CDC reports have consistently shown an increase in the number of overweight rates among adults in the US.
Moreover, the number of severely overweight people continues to increase even as the overall number of overweight people is decreasing. According to the data, the average age of overweight people has not changed much over the years.
According to the CDC report, from 2013-2014 to August 2021 and August 2023, the number of those with severe obesity increased from 7.7 percent to 9.9 percent.
Individuals with a body mass index of 30 or more are considered overweight or obese. Individuals with a body mass index of 40 or more are considered severely overweight or severely obese.
"The prevalence of overweight in men (6.7 percent) was lower than that in women (12.1 percent) overall for both groups. Among men, the prevalence was highest among those aged 40 to 59 years. Among women, the prevalence was higher among those aged 20 to 39 years and 40 to 59 years than among those aged 60 years and older," the CDC report states.
One of the long-term goals of the CDC's plan, "Healthy People 2030," is to help people eat healthier foods and get enough physical activity to achieve and maintain a healthier body weight.
The "Healthy People 2030" plan aims to reduce the rate of overweight people to below 38.6 percent by 2030 and has emphasized that the problem is only getting worse.
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