The average American adult is obese, divorced, and has less than $1,000 in savings.
"That being said, you have to remember the average American adult is obese, divorced, and has less than 1K in the bank." (said at 0:29:15)
The claim bundles three statistical assertions regarding the 'average' (typical or majority) American adult, none of which describe a majority of the US adult population. First, national health surveillance data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) indicates that while adult obesity is prevalent, it affects approximately 35% to 42% of US adults—well under a majority. Second, demographic data from the US Census Bureau and demographic reviews indicate that only about 10% to 15% of American adults are currently divorced, with the majority being currently married or never married. Third, representative economic data from the Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances shows that the median American household transaction account balance is substantially higher than $1,000 (typically exceeding $5,000–$8,000), contradicting the viral survey claim that the typical American has less than $1,000 in the bank.
- contradicts: Trends in Obesity Among Adults in the United States, 2005 to 2014 (JAMA 2016)
"For the years 2013-2014, the overall age-adjusted prevalence of obesity was 37.7% (95% CI, 35.8%-39.7%); among men, it was 35.0% (95% CI, 32.8%-37.3%); and among women, it was 40.4% (95% CI, 37.6%-43.3%)." (abstract, results, passage verified)
openalexfull study (doi) - contradicts: Projected U.S. State-Level Prevalence of Adult Obesity and Severe Obesity (New England Journal of Medicine 2019)
"The findings from our approach suggest with high predictive accuracy that by 2030 nearly 1 in 2 adults will have obesity (48.9%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 47.7 to 50.1)" (abstract, results, passage verified)
openalexfull study (doi)