Americans Struggle to Achieve & Maintain a Healthy Weight

With two-thirds of the US population as overweight (defined as a body mass index [BMI] of at least 25) or obese (BMI of 30 or greater).  Obesity rates in the nation have doubled between 1980 and 2004. said Jennifer Kraschnewski, from Penn State College of Medicine (Pennsylvania, USA), and colleagues analyzed data on 14,306 men and women enrolled in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999-2006, in which weight status and medical history were self-reported.  Researchers calculated BMI for each individual and determined if they achieved 5, 10, 15 or 20% long-term (longer than one year) weight loss maintenance. The team found that 36% of the subjects maintained a weight loss of at least 5% of their initial body weight. Women had a higher prevalence of a long-term weight loss of at least 10% than men; married or partnered individuals had a lower prevalence. The researchers report that: “More than one out of every six US adults who has ever been overweight or obese has accomplished [long-term weight loss maintenance] of at least 10%.”