Obesity Levels Moderating in the U.S.

1/14/2010

Warnings about the effect that obesity can have on one's well-being and health insurance costs may be starting to register among many Americans, according to recent government statistics.

This week, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that for the period between 2007 and 2008, the adult obesity rate was 32.2 percent among men and 35.5 percent among women. While still high, the study noted that the prevalence of obesity does not appear to be moving forward as rapidly as it did over the past decade.

In total, 68 percent of American adults were said to be either overweight or obese.

"This is not a cause for complacency or celebration, but it is cause for modest optimism," the Los Angeles Times quoted Dr. William Dietz of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as saying.

It remains to be seen if the leveling off of obesity figures is due to more Americans paying attention to their health, or if some other factors may be involved. Regardless, the slight improvement in this data means that more Americans will benefit in the form of fewer chronic medical conditions and the higher health insurance premiums that tend to come with them.

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