Obesity prevalence among adults in the United States decreased over the past decade, according to a research letter posted Dec. 13 on the JAMA Network.
Researchers from Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and Optum Life Sciences analyzed body mass index data from 2013 to 2023 among more than 16.7 million adults, most of them between the ages of 26 and 75 (51% female and 49% male). They found that BMI measurements rose annually between 2013 and 2021, plateaued in 2022, and decreased slightly in 2023.
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“This same pattern was seen in percent changes of adults with obesity,” the report states, noting that the prevalence of obesity in the U.S. has increased for several decades, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. “As the U.S. transitions from pandemic conditions and weight loss medication use becomes more common, near-term changes in obesity prevalence are unclear.”
Researchers also added that the study “was limited by possible selection bias and compositional changes, as BMI recorded during medical visits may have skewed estimates. … While obesity remains a considerable public health concern, the observed reductions in obesity prevalence suggest an encouraging reversal from long-standing prior increases.”
“I think we need to look at this as a positive indicator in a specific database,” Dr. Anne Peters, a professor of medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, told ABC News. “That may mean that people are doing better and that including therapies are helpful, but we need to see how that plays out over time.”
Peters added that BMI is just one measure of overall health. “I think we need to change how people eat fundamentally, and that would be much better than people just losing weight,” she said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said obesity accounted for almost $173 billion in medical expenditures in 2019 dollars. Many adults with obesity also have other serious chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
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