Close to half of U.S. population projected to have obesity by 2030
About half of the adult U.S. population will have obesity and about a quarter will have severe obesity by 2030, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study also predicts that in 29 states, more than half of the population will have obesity, and all states will have a prevalence of obesity higher than 35 percent. The study’s researchers estimate that currently, 40 percent of American adults have obesity and 18 percent have severe obesity. The study was published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers said the predictions are troubling because the health and economic effects of the conditions take social tolls. “Obesity, and especially severe obesity, are associated with increased rates of chronic disease and medical spending, and have negative consequences for life expectancy,” said Steven Gortmaker, professor of the practice of health sociology at Harvard Chan School and senior author...