Definition of Obesity

The World's No1 Health Problem

The obesity plague is no illusion. It’s costing Americans as much as $147 billion—and countless lives—each year. Incredibly, two-thirds of American adults are either overweight or obese, and childhood obesity rates are triple what they were only a generation ago. In fact, the obesity crisis has placed a crushing burden on our healthcare system and now has many experts expressing their belief that today’s generation of children will be the first to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. And the problem isn’t just America’s. The same troubling rates are being seen in other areas of North America, Europe and other developed countries. It truly is a worldwide epidemic (CNBC, 2010)

These and other numbers that scientists and health experts are citing are incredibly alarming. Most concerning is many experts feel obesity is approaching heart disease as the number-one killer disease in America. It’s simple—obesity is killing us.


Covering the exploding obesity epidemic, a recent CNBC report wondered, “Why in a society obsessed with being thin, it has never been easier to be fat.”

Obesity at a Glance

• BMI stands for Body Mass Index, which measures body fat based on height and weight

• About 1/3 of American adults are overweight (BMI of 25-29.9)

• Another 1/3 of American adults are obese (BMI of 30+)

• It’s not just adults—13.9% of young children (2-5 years old) are overweight

• 32% of children and adolescents are above the 85th percentile in BMI

• Approximately 25% of our population is completely sedentary




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