Key Statistics on Obesity

• Two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight or obese.¹
  ¹Overweight and Obesity in the U.S., FRAC http://frac.org/initiatives/hunger-and-obesity/obesity-in-the-us/
• Obesity and physical inactivity have been linked to a range of chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes and hypertension.²
  ²F as in Fat, Trust for America’s Health, pg. 26: http://healthyamericans.org/assets/files/TFAH2011FasInFat10.pdf

Colorado-Specific Statistics

• Twenty-one percent of adults in Colorado are obese. This is the lowest adult obesity rate in the U.S.³
  ³Obesity and Overweight: Data and Statistics: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html
• Colorado’s obesity rate nearly doubled from 1995 through 2008.⁴
  ⁴Colorado Dept. of Public Health and Environment, Press Release, Feb. 24, 2010: http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/release/2010/022410b.pdf
• One in five (21.2%) adults in Colorado has Hypertension.⁵
  ⁵Trust For America’s Health: Key Health Data about Colorado: http://healthyamericans.org/states/?stateid=CO#section=1,year=2011,code=hyper
• Colorado ranks 23rd among U.S. states in the proportion of childhood obesity⁶ with 14% of children in the state who are obese.⁷
  ⁶The 2010 Colorado Health Report Card, The Colorado Health Foundation, http://www.coloradohealthreportcard.org/ReportCard/2010/subdefault.aspx?id=4929
  ⁷Trust For America’s Health: Key Health Data about Colorado: http://healthyamericans.org/states/?stateid=CO
• Childhood obesity in Colorado increased 23 percent between 2003 and 2007 – the second-fastest rate of increase in the nation.⁸
  ⁸Colorado No. 2 in increased rate of childhood obesity, Health Policy Solutions, http://www.healthpolicysolutions.org/2011/02/09/colorado-no-2-in-increased-rate-of-childhood-obesity/?utm_source=Health+Policy+Solutions&utm_campaign=255118049b-HPS0209112_9_2011&utm_medium=email

Obesity and Chronic Disease

• Obesity leads to heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer.⁹
  ⁹Overweight and Obesity: Data and Statistics, CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
• One in four Americans has some form of cardiovascular disease.¹⁰
  ¹⁰American Heart Association. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics — 2006 Update. Dallas: American Heart Association, 2006.
• One in three adults has high blood pressure, and high blood pressure is the leading cause of stroke. About a third of hypertension may be attributable to obesity, and the figure may be as high as 60 percent in men under 45.¹¹
  ¹¹The Obesity Society. “Obesity Statistics — U.S. Trends.” The Obesity Society. http://www.obesity.org/statistics/obesity_trends.asp (accessed April 18, 2008).

Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity

• Eating a healthy diet, high in fruits and vegetables is associated with a lower body mass index (BMI) and decreased risk for chronic diseases.¹²
  ¹²US Department of Health and Human Services, US Department of Agriculture. Dietary guidelines for Americans, 2005. 6th ed. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office; 2005. http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines.
• Compared with regularly active people, physically inactive people are twice as likely to develop coronary heart disease.¹³
  ¹³U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. “Physical Activity and Fitness—Improving Health, Fitness, and Quality Of Life through Daily Physical Activity.” Prevention Report, 16(4): 1-15, 2002. http://odphp.osophs.dhhs.gov/pubs/prevrpt/02Volume16/Iss4Vol16.pdf  
• Studies suggest that moderate-to-high levels of physical activity substantially reduce, or even eliminate, the mortality risk of obesity.¹⁴
  ¹⁴Lee DC, Sui X, and Blair SN. “Does Physical Activity Ameliorate the Health Hazards of Obesity?” British Journal of   Sports Medicine, 43(1): 49-51, 2009.

Childhood Obesity

• Approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2—19 years in the United States are obese.¹⁵
  ¹⁵National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, CDC http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/data.html
• Since 1980, the prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents has almost tripled.¹⁶
  ¹⁶National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, CDC http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/data.html
• Obese children are more likely to have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes, which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease.¹⁷
  ¹⁷Obesity Fact Sheet, CDC http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/downloads/PedNSSFactSheet.pdf
• Obese children are more likely to become obese adults.¹⁸
  ¹⁸Obesity Fact Sheet, CDC http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/downloads/PedNSSFactSheet.pdf
• One of seven low-income, preschool-aged children is obese. Nearly one-third of the 3.7 million low-income children aged two-four years surveyed as part of the CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, were obese or overweight, and 541,000 were obese.¹⁹
  ¹⁹2009 Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System CDC http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/downloads/PedNSSFactSheet.pdf