The results from the 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) using a BMI rating scale published these estimated numbers on obesity rates among U.S. adults (20 years old and older):

34.2% overweight
33.8% are obese
5.7% are extremely obese

These numbers are up about 11% in the last 15 years and after reviewing the shocking numbers the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has made it their goal to cut obesity to 15% starting in 2010. This reduction would be less than half of the current 34.2% estimated overweight Americans.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure what the government is planning to do differently since more powerful drugs, a new food pyramid, and mass farming clearly isn’t the answer. Plus, with childhood obesity on the rise we’re already looking at the future of where the adult overweight population is heading.

In my opinion, only a greater level of grass roots education, access to quality organic foods, and an emphasis on being more active will change the current state of the country. This is what I would love to see happen so that all people can play on a level field where everyone regardless of economic status has access to living a healthy life.

What do you think? Do you believe the U.S. government will really help the current state of obesity in the country, or do you think they are the ones to blame?

You can find more detailesd statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Credits to:Nutrition Data: Dieting & Weight Loss Blog

Related Posts

• Barcelona Design Week 2010: D-Lab’s 4 Designs Against Poverty
  The Leveraged Freedom Chair. Image Credit: MIT Mobility Lab At today's lecture "Facing New Challenges Through Design" as part of Barcelona Design We...
• Study: Getting Plenty of Calcium Early in Life, May Help Prevent Obesity Later
  source It’s no secret that calcium is important for the development of strong and healthy bones, especially in young growing bodies. But researc...
• Study Says Kids Get 40 Percent of Calories from Junk Food: What Part of Childhood Obesity Don’t We Understand?
  Photo: Flickr It's no wonder that kids are blowing up like balloons more every year. According to Kids Health, the percentage of overweight children...
• Lasker Awards Go To Genetics Of Obesity And Wet Macular Degeneration Treatment
  The winners of the 2010 Lasker Awards, recognized as the most prestigious medical research awards in the USA, went to Douglas Coleman and Jeffrey M. F...
• Three-quarters Of U.S. Babies Start Off On Breast Milk, Less Than Half Still Breastfeed After Six Months
  Three million babies in America, 75% of the ones born in 2007, started off on breast milk; 43% were still breastfeeding when they were six months old,...