U.S. Obesity Rates Plateau (at a High Level); Rates Still Higher in Blacks, Latinos

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The prevalence of obesity in the U.S. largely leveled off over the last decade, even as some individual groups, such as boys from ages 6 to 19, saw increases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Bloomberg reports.

Obesity rates in adults rose slightly to 35.7% from 30.5% between 1999 and 2010, compared with rates that nearly doubled the two previous decades.

Overall, a third of the population—78 million adults and 12.5 million children—were obese in 2009- 2010.

According to the story:

“The fact that prevalence rates are reaching a plateau is good news, but by no means are we at the end of the epidemic,” said David Ludwig, a pediatric endocrinologist and director of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center at Children’s Hospital Boston. “Unless we see declining rates of obesity the impact on society will continue to mount for many years to come. The plateau is at an unacceptably high level.”

Also, a Medscape report form the same study indicates that racial differences also were striking.

Black and Hispanic children and adolescents had higher obesity rates (24.3% and 21.2%) than white children (14%).