Ever-Expanding American Populace to Be 42% Obese by 2030, Predicts Study
May 7, 2012
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A new study in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine predicts that 42% of Americans will be obese--with 11% of the populace being severely obese--by 2030. The study, "Obesity and Severe Obesity Forecasts Through 2030," was conducted by Duke University and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) researchers. But if those numbers sound daunting, consider this: other predictive methods have the obesity figures coming in much worse.
According to the study, a linear time trend would forecast that 51% of the population would be obese by 2030. The methodology used in this study is based on nonlinear regression models to arrive at the lesser figure of 42%. According to the study's overview, it was conducted in 2009–2010 and used data from the 1990 through 2008 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).
The government-defined standard for obesity in adults is body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30. The definition of obesity for children for this study was defined as a BMI greater than or equal to the age- and sex-specific 95th percentiles of the 2000 CDC growth charts. BMI is calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared, rounded to one decimal place.
Source: HispanicBusiness.com (c) 2012. All rights reserved.
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