#VOA - Top Stories [RSS] IFRAME: https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-N8MP7P [2018780839?pageName=voa%3aeng%3ar%3a4068864%3aus+obesity+problem+is+no t+budging%2c+new+data+shows&c6=us+obesity+problem+is+not+budging%2c +new+data+shows&v6=D=c6&g=https%3a%2f%2fwww.voanews.com&c1= D=g&v1=D=g&events=event1&c7=us+obesity+problem+is+not+budgi ng%2c+new+data+shows&v7=D=c7&c16=voa+english&v16=D=c16& c5=health&v5=D=c5&ch=english&v15=D=ch&c15=D=ch&c4=a rticle&v4=D=c4&c14=4068864&v14=D=c14&c20=no&c17=res ponsive&v17=D=c17] Accessibility links * Skip to main content * Skip to main Navigation * Skip to Search (BUTTON) Close (BUTTON) Previous (BUTTON) Next please wait logo * * * Languages * * * * * Search ____________________ (BUTTON) Search * Listen * Watch * Home * World + U.S. & The Americas + Africa + Asia + Europe + Middle East * Editor's Picks * Technology * Science & Health * US Politics * South China Sea * @VOA STUDENTU + STUDENT U HOME + STUDENT U ACADEMICS + STUDENT U ADMISSIONS + STUDENT U IMMIGRATION + STUDENT U SCHOLARSHIPS + STUDENT U FITTING IN + SU ED:USA * Login / Register * More * VOA English TV + VOA English TV Latest show o [99B4E6F9-DEB4-440A-927F-FFE5E900C7EF_w66_r1.jpg] Africa 54 + Upcoming o 11:30 - 11:59 Africa 54 o 13:30 - 14:30 Straight Talk Africa * VOA English MC11 + VOA English MC11 Latest show o [00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000_w66_r1.gif] Shaka: Extra Time * More TV + OUR BROADCAST PROGRAMS * VOA Global English + VOA Global English Listen live o [BDD0CC90-7B79-48AC-A3CC-B01F3DBE299E_w66_r1.jpg] 04:05 - 05:00 LIVE VOA 1 - The Hits - Larry London + Upcoming o 05:00 - 05:05 VOA Newscasts o 05:05 - 06:00 VOA 1 - The Hits - Ray McDonald o 06:00 - 06:05 VOA Newscasts * VOA Africa + VOA Africa Listen live o [ECD44AC9-6733-4671-9989-0E9DF3940696_w66_r1.jpg] 04:00 - 05:00 LIVE African Beat + Upcoming o 05:00 - 05:05 VOA Newscasts o 06:00 - 06:05 VOA Newscasts o 07:00 - 07:05 VOA Newscasts * VOA1 – The Hits + VOA1 – The Hits Listen live o [00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000_w66_r1.gif] LIVE VOA1 – The Hits + Upcoming o 10:05 - 11:00 Border Crossings * VOA Newscasts + VOA Newscasts Latest program o [24BC5993-7DFA-4E90-ACB8-3F49BA4EB924_w66_r1.png] VOA Newscasts + Upcoming o 05:00 - 05:04 VOA Newscasts o 06:00 - 06:04 VOA Newscasts o 07:00 - 07:04 VOA Newscasts * More radio + Latest Newscast + OUR BROADCAST PROGRAMS + Radio Schedule Search ____________________ (BUTTON) Search (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Previous Next 0 Breaking News Previous Next 0 Live Science & Health US Obesity Problem Is Not Budging, New Data Shows October 13, 2017 8:15 AM * Associated Press __________________________________________________________________ FILE - Two women converse in New York. New government figures released Friday, Oct. 13, 2017 showed small increases that were not considered statistically significant but were seen by some as a cause for concern. The adult obesity rate rose from to about 40 percent, from just shy of 38 percent. FILE - Two women converse in New York. New government figures released Friday, Oct. 13, 2017 showed small increases that were not considered statistically significant but were seen by some as a cause for concern. The adult obesity rate rose from to about 40 percent, from just shy of 38 percent. Share * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share on Google+ * Email to a Friend * US Obesity Problem Is Not Budging, New Data Shows share * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share on Google+ * Email to a Friend * (BUTTON) Print NEW YORK — America's weight problem isn't getting any better, according to new government research. Overall, obesity figures stayed about the same: About 40 percent of adults are obese and 18.5 percent of children. Those numbers are a slight increase from the last report but the difference is so small that it could have occurred by chance. Worrisome to experts is the rate for children and teenagers, which had hovered around 17 percent for a decade. The 2-to-5 age group had the biggest rise. The years ahead will show if that's a statistical blip or marks the start of a real trend, said the report's lead author, Dr. Craig Hales of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The bad news is that the numbers didn't go down, experts say. In recent years, state and national health officials have focused on obesity in kids, who were the target of the national Let's Move campaign launched by former first lady Michelle Obama in 2010. The report released Friday covers 2015 and 2016. "This is quite disappointing. If we were expecting the trends to budge, this is when they would be budging," said Andrew Stokes, a Boston University expert on tracking obesity. The new figures are from an annual government survey with about 5,000 participants. The survey is considered the gold standard for measuring the nation's waistline, because participants are put on a scale to verify their weight. Obesity means not merely overweight, but seriously overweight, as determined by a calculation called body mass index . Until the early 1980s, only about 1 in 6 adults were obese. The rate climbed dramatically to about 1 in 3 around a decade ago, then seemed to level off for years. More details from the report: - The 40 percent rate for adults is statistically about the same as the nearly 38 percent in the 2013-2014 survey. - By age, the fattest adults are in their 40s and 50s. The obesity rate for that age group is 41 percent for men and 45 percent for women. - By race and gender, the problem is still most common in black and Hispanic women; more than half are obese. - Among children, the rate for the 12-to-19 age group was the same at nearly 21 percent. For kids 6 to 11, it rose to 18 percent, from 17 percent. - But for children ages 2 to 5, the rate jumped to 14 percent from about 9 percent. Related * WHO Warns of Child Obesity Epidemic WHO Warns of Child Obesity Epidemic More Health News * Artistic reconstruction of Kumimanu biceae in size comparison to a human diver. Waddling into History: Huge Ancient Penguin Inhabited New Zealand * Christopher Cantrell, Atmosphere Chemistry Professor at Colorado Boulder University, speaks during an interview with Reuters at the One Planet Summit, near Paris, Dec. 12, 2017. Trump’s Climate Politics Propel US Scientist to New Start in France * Arctic Report Card: Permafrost Thawing Faster Than Before * Spacex Delivery Delayed a Day; 1st Reused Rocket for NASA * Paris Summit Focused on Boosting Funding for Climate Change Fight Featured Video * Small Montana City Elects Former Refugee as Mayor Small Montana City Elects Former Refugee as Mayor Most Popular * Articles + 1 EU to Netanyahu: Jerusalem Must be Capital of Two States + 2 Separatists Attack Cameroon Police + 3 New Protests Erupt in Muslim, Arab World Against Trump's Jerusalem Decision + 4 Arab League: Trump Jerusalem Decision ‘a Dangerous Development’ + 5 Al-Qaida Seeks to Capitalize on Muslim Anger Over Jerusalem * Discussions + 1 EU to Netanyahu: Jerusalem Must be Capital of Two States (16) + 2 White House Fully Briefed on Possible Security Fallout From Jerusalem Decision (8) + 3 Protesters Lash Out at Trump Across Muslim World (7) + 4 US Presses Russia About Compliance with Landmark Nuclear Treaty (5) + 5 UN: Time of the Essence to Resolve Korean Peninsula Tensions (3) * Multimedia + 1 Discovery of Two Ancient Tombs Announced in Egypt + 2 December 10, 2017 + 3 Arches National Park in Utah Attracts More Than a Million Visitors a Year + 4 Fusion Reactor Under Construction in France Halfway Complete + 5 France Offers Chinese Primer in Mastering Wine Industry Recommended * Today@VOA Logo - Stacked Version Have the best of VOA News delivered directly to your inbox each day. Subscribe now. You may also like * FILE - Riot police stand guard at a blocked street outside the supreme court in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Nov. 16, 2017. The court ultimately dissolved the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, seen as another move by authoritarian Prime Minister Hun Sen to remove threats to his power ahead of elections next year. Asia EU Cuts Cambodia Election Funding * Mexican journalist Emilio Gutierrez, seen in this July 13, 2011 file photo at his home in Las Cruces, New Mexico in the United States, faces deportation to his country, where he says, he is certain to be killed, Dec 12, 2017. Americas Mexican Journalist, Facing Deportation, Seeks US Asylum * FILE - National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster speaks during a daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, Nov. 2, 2017. US Politics New US National Security Strategy Focused on 'Competitive Engagement' Back to top * Follow Us + + + + + + + + * Other Ways to Access VOA + Subscribe to Today@VOA Newsletter + Subscribe to our podcasts + RSS feeds + Listen on the radio + Get our mobile app + VOA Around the World * About this site + Privacy Notice + About VOA + Contact VOA + Media Relations + Usage Requests + VOA Pronunciation Guide * Site Map + USA + Africa + Asia + Europe + Middle East + Americas + Science & Innovation + Entrepreneurship + Health + Art & Culture + Special Reports + VOA Programs + Videos + Blogs + Editorials XS SM MD LG