Trends in obesity and abdominal obesity among adults in the United States from 1999-2008.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Repeated cross-sectional survey data (NHANES 1999-2008)
PubMed 20820173 · doi:10.1038/ijo.2010.186
What was done
Analyzed trends in obesity and abdominal obesity using data from up to 22,872 non-pregnant men and women aged 20 years and older from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999 to 2008. Measured outcomes included age-adjusted mean body mass index (BMI), mean waist circumference, obesity prevalence (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²), and abdominal obesity prevalence (waist circumference ≥ 102 cm for men, ≥ 88 cm for women).
What was found
In men from 1999-2000 to 2007-2008, mean BMI increased from 27.8 to 28.5 kg/m² (P trend = 0.001), mean waist circumference rose from 99.1 to 100.8 cm (P trend = 0.002), obesity prevalence increased from 26.9% to 32.0% (P trend = 0.001), and abdominal obesity prevalence increased from 37.8% to 43.7% (P trend = 0.002). In women over the same period, mean BMI shifted from 28.2 to 28.6 kg/m² (P trend = 0.181), mean waist circumference increased from 92.2 to 94.9 cm (P trend = 0.006), obesity prevalence changed from 33.2% to 35.2% (P trend = 0.180), and abdominal obesity prevalence increased from 55.8% to 61.8% (P trend = 0.036).
Why it matters
These findings show that while general obesity rates plateaued in women during this decade, central adiposity as measured by waist circumference continued to rise in both sexes across the United States.
Limits
The study is cross-sectional across repeated survey cycles, preventing longitudinal tracking of individuals over time. Pregnant women were excluded, and the abstract does not report causal factors, dietary or physical activity variables, or data on clinical health outcomes.
Cited by
- supports Approximately 70% of women over age 50 and 50% of men over age 50 have high visceral fat.