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Despite growing concerns about overweight and obesity rates,
American children and adult men have continued getting heavier,
but among women, there are signs that obesity rates may be
leveling off.
"It does look good for women. Obesity may be stabilizing,"
said Cynthia Ogden, an epidemiologist with the National Center
for Health Statistics.According to national data for 2003
and 2004 that Ogden crunched 17.1 percent of U.S. children
and adolescents were overweight. That's up from 13.9 percent
in 1999 and 2000.
Among men, the obesity rate hit 31.1 percent in 2003-3004,
up significantly from 27.5 percent at the turn of the new
century. The obesity rate for women, 33.2 percent, remained
virtually unchanged from 1999-2000.
The new data appear in a study in today's Journal of the American
Medical Association. The figures are based on the National
Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys conducted by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The surveys, considered
the most accurate estimates of national obesity rates, use
actual height and weight measurements of a representative
sample of the nation's population.
Overweight and obesity rates are determined by a calculation
of height and weight called the body mass index. Obese adults
are more prone to a host of health problems, including diabetes
and high blood pressure. Overweight conditions in children
may cause health problems and often lead to obesity in adulthood.
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