ottawa county
health department
Public Health
Data Watch
JANUARY
2002
Overweight & Obesity
Overweight and obesity are known risk factors for many chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease, cancer, stroke
and arthritis. To understand the significance of data released to overweight and obesity, it is impor tant to know how they are
defined and measured. Overweight refers to an excess of body weight (coming from muscle, bone, fat and /or water) compared
to set standards. Obesity refers specifically to having a high proportion of body fat. (See criteria based on Body Mass Index
[BMI] below.)
Overweight and obesity are widely prevalent in the United States and numbers have been increasing steadily since the 1970's.
Nearly 1/2 of U.S. adults are overweight and 1/4 are obese. The causes of overweight and obesity involve both genetics and
behavioral factors, including lack of physical activity, poor food choices, and overconsumption of calories. Reducing the
occurrence of these behaviors can help reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity.
Being obese incr
eases: 4
increases:
male heart disease risk to 97%
female breast cancer risk to 50%
male colon cancer risk to 40%
type 2 diabetes risk to 46%
high blood cholesterol risk to 20-25%
Findings of Otta
w a County 1994 and
Ottaw
1999 BRFS:*
total persons overweight rose from 20.5 to 30.4%
weight gains occurred for all but 75+ age group
overweight 18-24 year olds rose from 6% to 20%
the older persons gained more weight with age
the 45-54 age group gained the most- 26.5 to 43%
44% of 65-74 year olds were overweight
How to calculate BMI for adults 20 years and older
BMI = weight (in Kilograms)
height (in meters) 2
Youth Sta
tistics
Statistics
Between 1988-1994, 1 in 5 U.S. kids were overweight.2
About 20-22% of overweight children were Caucasian and
27-33% were Mexican-American.2
Overweight children have blood sugar, blood pressure and
blood fats in the high normal range, placing them at
increased health risk.
Type II diabetes, which is directly linked to obesity, rose
from 4% to 16% in kids 10-14 years of age.3
Fewer than 1/2 of U.S. kids have daily physical education.
70% of overweight 10-13 year olds will be overweight or
obese adults.
*Ottawa County Health Dept. Behavior Risk Factor Survey (BRFS) 1994
and 1999.
For more information call: 393-5775
Ottawa County Health Department
or
BMI = multiply weight in pounds by 700, and divide
the result by height in inches twice.
According to NIH:
overweight = BMI > 25 to < 30
obese= BMI > 30
1
www.niddk.nih.gov/health/nutrit/pubs/ststobes.htm NIH Publication
No. 96-4158, July 1996: Statistics Related to Overweight & Obesity.
2
NHANES III, 1988-1994 http://prevention:stanford.edu/research/studies/
obesity_mexican_children.html. Development and Evaluation of a
culturally Appropriate, Spanish Language, Weight Control Program
for Obese Mexican-american Children 2001.
3
Obesity -Linked Diabetes Rising in Children, Washington, Post Nov. 3,
1998, p Z07.
4
American Journal of Epidemiology 2000, 152; 264-271
12251 James St.- Suite 400
Holland, MI
49424