Gary Foster, director of the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University in Philadelphia, says, the increase in obesity among men "is troubling given that men typically carry excess weight in their bellies (abdominal areas) which confers greater medical consequences such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and sleep apnea."
By contrast women tend to carry excess weight in their hips and thighs which is associated with less risk to their health, Foster says.
However, the high obesity rate "will continue to confer significant medical, psychosocial and economic consequences for our country," he says.
O'Neil agrees. Obesity is taking a toll on the health of millions of people, he says. "The flood tide of obesity shows no signs of receding, and continues to threaten to engulf the health care system."
Among the other findings released online Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association:
•About 69% of adults in the USA are either overweight or obese; that's up from 64.5% in 2000.
•About 42% of women over 60 were obese in 2010 vs. about 32% of women 20 to 39.
•31.8% of kids and adolescents, ages 2 to 19, were obese or overweight.
•The average body mass index (BMI) of men rose to 28.7 in 2010 up from 27.7 in 2000. For women the average BMI remained unchanged at about 28.5.
Body mass is a number that takes into account height and weight. Adults are considered overweight if they have a BMI of 25 to 29.9. Obesity in adults is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater. Children are classified as overweight or obese based on where they fall on BMI growth charts.
This new analysis is based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which is considered the gold standard for evaluating the obesity problem in the USA because it is an extensive survey of people whose weight and height are actually measured rather than being self-reported.
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