Prevalence of Childhood and Adult Obesity in the United States, 2011-2012

Abstract

Obesity and childhood obesity, in particular, are the focus of many public health efforts in the United States.^1,2 New regulations have been implemented by the US Department of Agriculture for food packages in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children,³ the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has funded state- and community-level interventions,⁴ and there have been numerous reports and recommendations issued by the Institute of Medicine,⁵ the US Surgeon General,⁶ and the White House.¹ Although the prevalence of obesity in the United States is high, with one-third of adults and 17% of children obese,⁷ it appears to have leveled off between 2003-2004 and 2009-2010.^8,9 Given the focus of public health efforts on obesity, surveillance of trends in obesity remains important.