[Jog] Re: JAMA article on NHANES 2001-2002 obesity rates

[Jennifer L YOUNG]

Please pardon the cross-posting.

Below is a press release by The Journal of the American Medical
Association (JAMA) regarding a recent article providing new obesity
rates from the 2001-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination
Survey (NHANES).  The abstract from the JAMA website follows.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 3 P.M. (CT) TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 2004
Media Advisory: To contact Allison A. Hedley, Ph.D., call Jeff
Lancashire at 301-458-4800.

LATEST REPORT SHOWS PREVALENCE OF OVERWEIGHT AMONG CHILDREN AND OBESITY
AMONG ADULTS NOT DECREASING

CHICAGO -- The high levels of overweight among children and obesity
among adults remain a major public health concern, according to a report
in the June 16 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association
(JAMA).  

According to background information in the article, "The prevalence of
overweight and obesity is considered an important public health issue in
the United States. Healthy People 2010 identified overweight and obesity
as one of the 10 leading health indicators."

Allison A. Hedley, Ph.D., from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, Atlanta, and colleagues updated the U.S. prevalence
estimates of overweight in children and obesity in adults using the most
recent national data of height and weight measurements.  The researchers
analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
(NHANES), a probability sample of the U.S. non-institutionalized
civilian population.   Both height and weight measurements were obtained
from 4,115 adults and 4,018 children in 1999 - 2000 and from 4,390
adults and 4,258 children in 2001-2002. 

"For adults, overweight, obesity, and extreme obesity, were defined as
body mass index (BMI, calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the
square of height in meters) of 25.0 to 29.9, 30.0 or more, and 40.0 or
more, respectively."    For children, "at risk for overweight was
defined as at or above the 85th percentile but less than the 95th
percentile of the sex-specific BMI for age", as defined by the CDC
growth charts.   "Overweight was defined as at or above the 95th
percentile of the sex-specific BMI-for-age growth chart."

"Between 1999 - 2000 and 2001 - 2002, there were no significant changes
among adults in the prevalence of overweight or obesity (64.5 percent
vs. 65.7 percent), obesity (30.5 percent vs. 30.6 percent), or extreme
obesity (4.7 percent vs. 5.1 percent), or among children aged 6 through
19 years in the prevalence of at risk for overweight or overweight (29.9
percent vs. 31.5 percent) or overweight (15.0 percent vs. 16.5
percent)," the authors found.  "Overall, among adults aged at least 20
years in 1999 - 2002, 65.1 percent were overweight or obese, 30.4
percent were obese, and 4.9 percent were extremely obese.   Among
children aged 6 through 19 years in 1999 - 2002, 31 percent were at risk
for overweight or overweight and 16 percent were overweight."

"The prevalence of obesity by age, sex, and racial/ethnic group ranged
from 22.9 percent of non-Hispanic white men aged 20 through 39 years to
50.6 percent of non-Hispanic black women aged 40 through 59 years.
Among women, non-Hispanic black women had the highest level of  extreme
obesity (13.5 percent) compared with 5.5 percent and 5.7 percent of
non-Hispanic white and Mexican American women, respectively.  There was
no significant difference in the prevalence of obesity among men across
racial/ethnic categories for all age groups.  Among women aged at least
20 years, the prevalence of obesity differed significantly between
racial/ethnic groups, with non-Hispanic white women having the lowest
prevalence (30.7 percent), non-Hispanic black women having the highest
(49.0 percent), and the prevalence among Mexican American women falling
in between (38.4 percent). The prevalence of obesity was significantly
higher among women than men."

In conclusion the authors write, "Substantial progress will need to be
made in the efforts to lower the prevalence of overweight and obesity if
the goals of Healthy People 2010 are to be met." (JAMA. 2004;
291:2847-2850. Available post-embargo at JAMA.com)

###
For More Information: Contact the JAMA/Archives Media Relations
Department at 312-464-JAMA (5262) or email:
mediarelations at jama-archives.org.


==============================================
ABSTRACT

Source: http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/291/23/2847 
Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among US Children, Adolescents, and
Adults, 1999-2002 
Allison A. Hedley, PhD; Cynthia L. Ogden, PhD; Clifford L. Johnson,
MSPH; Margaret D. Carroll, MSPH; Lester R. Curtin, PhD; Katherine M.
Flegal, PhD 
JAMA. 2004;291:2847-2850. 
Context The prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased markedly
in the last 2 decades in the United States. 
Objective To update the US prevalence estimates of overweight in
children and obesity in adults, using the most recent national data of
height and weight measurements. 
Design, Setting, and Participants As part of the National Health and
Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a complex multistage probability
sample of the US noninstitutionalized civilian population, both height
and weight measurements were obtained from 4115 adults and 4018 children
in 1999-2000 and from 4390 adults and 4258 children in 2001-2002. 
Main Outcome Measure Prevalence of overweight (body mass index [BMI]
>95th percentile of the sex-specific BMI-for-age growth chart) among
children and prevalence of overweight (BMI, 25.0-29.9), obesity (BMI
>30.0), and extreme obesity (BMI >40.0) among adults by sex, age, and
racial/ethnic group. 
Results Between 1999-2000 and 2001-2002, there were no significant
changes among adults in the prevalence of overweight or obesity (64.5%
vs 65.7%), obesity (30.5% vs 30.6%), or extreme obesity (4.7% vs 5.1%),
or among children aged 6 through 19 years in the prevalence of at risk
for overweight or overweight (29.9% vs 31.5%) or overweight (15.0% vs
16.5%). Overall, among adults aged at least 20 years in 1999-2002, 65.1%
were overweight or obese, 30.4% were obese, and 4.9% were extremely
obese. Among children aged 6 through 19 years in 1999-2002, 31.0% were
at risk for overweight or overweight and 16.0% were overweight. The
NHANES results indicate continuing disparities by sex and between
racial/ethnic groups in the prevalence of overweight and obesity. 
Conclusions There is no indication that the prevalence of obesity among
adults and overweight among children is decreasing. The high levels of
overweight among children and obesity among adults remain a major public
health concern. 

Author Affiliations: Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Ga (Dr Hedley); National Center for
Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
Hyattsville, Md (Drs Hedley, Ogden, Curtin, and Flegal, and Mr Johnson
and Ms Carroll); and Center for Weight and Health, University of
California, Berkeley (Dr Flegal).