Achieving a Balance: Reaching and Maintaining a Healthy Weight

  Overweight and Obesity

Diet stratagies for this condition can be found under the "Healthy Diet" tab in the top menu.

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During the past 20 years, obesity among adults has risen significantly in the United States. The latest data from the National Center for Health Statistics show that 30 percent of U.S. adults 20 years of age and older—over 60 million people—are obese.
This increase is not limited to adults. The percentage of young people who are overweight has more than tripled since 1980. Among children and teens aged 6–19 years, 16 percent (over 9 million young people) are considered overweight.

These increasing rates raise concern because of their implications for Americans’ health. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of many diseases and health conditions, including the following:

• Hypertension
• Dyslipidemia (for example, high total cholesterol or high levels of triglycerides)
• Type 2 diabetes
• Coronary heart disease
• Stroke
• Gallbladder disease
• Osteoarthritis
• Sleep apnea and respiratory problems
• Some cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon)

Although one of the national health objectives for the year 2010 is to reduce the prevalence of obesity among adults to less than 15%, current data indicate that the situation is worsening rather than improving. This site provides a variety of information designed to help people understand this serious health issue and the efforts being made to address it.

CDC and Connect With Kids present: 'The Biggest Generation' Connect with Kids,* in partnership with CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health, CDC's Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, and Florida’s Department of Health has developed a 30-minute television program focusing on the obesity epidemic among youth. The program, titled The Biggest Generation, will air nationwide beginning March 15, 2006.

State-Specific Prevalence of Obesity Among Adults — United States, 2005 September 15, 2006 ; MMWR, September 14, 2006; 55(36);985–988
Also available in print-friendly format (PDF-350k)

The Institute of Medicine, report Food Marketing to Children and Youth: Threat or Opportunity?*
This new report explores the influence of food and beverage marketing on the diets and diet-related health of U.S. children and youth. The reports includes the committee's recommendations for how various stakeholders can promote healthful foods and beverages to children and youth.

Achieving a Balance: Reaching and Maintaining a Healthy Weight
Whether you want to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, it’s important to understand the connection between the energy your body takes in (through the foods you eat and the beverages you drink) and the energy your body uses (through the activities you do).

At A Glance 2005 — Physical Activity and Good Nutrition: Essential Elements to Prevent Chronic Diseases and Obesity

School Health Programs: Key Strategies to Prevent Obesity
Overweight is a risk factor for health conditions such as diabetes and is associated with problems such as poor self-esteem. The good news is that schools can help students and staff adopt healthy eating and physical activity behaviors that are the keys to preventing obesity! Whether you are a teacher, parent, student, or school administrator, you can make healthy changes at your school.

Weight Management Research to Practice Series
The Weight Management Research to Practice Series is a series designed to summarize the science on weight management topics for health professionals. An overview of the science will be compiled into a summary document appropriate for public health professionals, including implications for practice. In addition, each installment in the series will be accompanied by a tool geared toward a lay audience, which can be used by health professionals in practice.

MyPyramid Plan
The new USDA food pyramid replaces "one size fits all" with a customizable eating and exercise plan. Explore the new pyramid to learn about the food groups and to see how much physical activity you should be getting.

*Links to non-Federal organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. Links do not constitute an endorsement of any organization by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at this link.

This site contains documents available in Adobe Acrobat Reader format (PDF). To view or print them, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader (version 3.0 or higher) installed on your computer. You can download it for free from Adobe Corporation.

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