Prevalence

• The prevalence of overweight (Body Mass Index (BMI) of 25 or more) and obesity (BMI of 30 or more) increased over the last decade across racial / ethnic groups, as shown in Table 1.
• Mexican American and black (non-Hispanic) adults in the U.S. are considerably more overweight and obese than white (non-Hispanic) adults.
• Read the AOA fact sheet,What is Obesity? for more information about BMI and
  to calculate BMI.

Table 1



Increase in Overweight and Obesity Prevalence Among U.S. Adults* by Racial / Ethnic Group
	Overweight (BMI > 25) Prevalence (%)		Obesity (BMI > 30) Prevalence (%)
Racial / Ethnic Group	1988 to 1994	1999 to 2000	1988 to 1994	1999 to 2000
Black (non-Hispanic)	62.5	69.6	30.2	39.9
Mexican American	67.4	73.4	28.4	34.4
White (non-Hispanic)	52.6	62.3	21.2	28.7
Source: CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Flegal et. al. JAMA. 2002; 288:1723-7 and IJO. 1998;22:39-47. *Ages 20 and older for 1999 to 2000 and ages 20 to 74 for 1988 to 1994.

• The American Indian population also has high prevalence rates of overweight. Among the highest rates reported (overweight defined as BMI of > 27.8 for men and > 27.3 for women) are for American Indians in Arizona at 80 percent for women and 67 percent for men, according to researchers of the Strong Heart Study in 1995.

Gender

• For women, the black (non-Hispanic) population has the highest prevalence of overweight (78 percent) and obesity (50.8 percent).
• For men, the Mexican American population has the highest prevalence of overweight (74.4 percent) and obesity (29.4 percent).
• Overweight, obesity and severe obesity (BMI of 40 or more) prevalence increased for men and women in various racial / ethnic groups in the U.S. over the last decade, as shown in Tables 2, 3 and 4.

Table 2

Increase in Overweight (BMI > 25) Prevalence Among U.S. Adults (Ages 20 to 74) by Racial / Ethnic Group and Gender
	Men Prevalence (%)		Women Prevalence (%)
Racial / Ethnic Group	1988 to 1994	1999 to 2000	1988 to 1994	1999 to 2000
Black (non-Hispanic)	58.2	60.1	68.5	78
Mexican American	69.4	74.4	69.6	71.8
White (non-Hispanic)	61.6	67.5	47.2	57.5
Source: CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Health, United States (Table 70) 2002.


Table 3

Increase in Obesity (BMI > 30) Prevalence Among U.S. Adults (Ages 20 to 74) by Racial / Ethnic Group and Gender
	Men Prevalence (%)		Women Prevalence (%)
Racial / Ethnic Group	1988 to 1994	1999 to 2000	1988 to 1994	1999 to 2000
Black (non-Hispanic)	21.3	28.8	39.1	50.8
Mexican American	24.4	29.4	36.1	40.1
White (non-Hispanic)	20.7	27.7	23.3	30.6
Source: CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Health, United States (Table 70) 2002.


Table 4

Increase in Severe Obesity (BMI > 40) Prevalence Among U.S. Adults (Ages 20 and older) by Racial / Ethnic Group and Gender
	Men Prevalence (%)		Women Prevalence (%)
Racial / Ethnic Group	1988 to 1994	1999 to 2000	1988 to 1994	1999 to 2000
Black (non-Hispanic)	2.4	3.5	7.9	15.1
Mexican American	1.1	2.4	4.8	5.5
White (non-Hispanic)	1.8	3	3.4	4.9
Source: CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Flegal et. al. JAMA 2002:288:1723-7.

• Overweight affects African American women and men across all SES levels.
• Minority women with low income appear to have the greatest likelihood of being overweight.
• Among Mexican American women, age 20 to 74, the rate of overweight is about 13 percent higher for women living below the poverty line versus above the poverty line.

• Many obesity-related diseases including diabetes, hypertension, cancer and heart disease are found in higher rates among various members of racial-ethnic minorities compared with whites.

Diabetes
• Diabetes has been reported to occur at a rate of 16 to 26 percent in Hispanic Americans and black Americans, aged 45 to 74, compared with 12 percent in whites (non-Hispanic) of the same age.
• Higher BMI predicts the risk for type 2 diabetes in Pima Indians. Type 2 diabetes affects about half of the Pima people.
• Among 15 American Indian tribes studied in Oklahoma, 77 percent of adults screened for diabetes are reported to be obese.
• Among Mexican Americans, obesity and type 2 diabetes are both increasing, unlike other risk factors of cardiovascular disease including smoking and blood pressure, which are declining.
Cancer
• Obesity appears to contribute to the higher risk of pancreatic cancer among black Americans than among whites, particularly for women.
Heart Disease
• Among African Americans, the high prevalence of obesity and obesity-related conditions such as hypertension and type 2 diabetes, are factors reported to contribute to their high death rate from coronary heart disease.
• In a study of older Hispanics, with an average age of 80, obesity was found to be a risk factor for developing coronary artery disease.
Hypertension
• The high prevalence of obesity is reported to be a contributing factor to the high prevalence of hypertension in minority populations, especially among African Americans who have an earlier onset and run a more severe course of hypertension.
Behavioral Risk Factors Diet & Exercise
• Cultural factors related to dietary choices, physical activity, and acceptance of excess weight among African Americans and other racial-ethnic groups, appear to play a role in interfering with weight loss efforts.
• Sedentary life style, which can contribute to the development of obesity, has been reported by 44 to 60 percent of Native American men and 40 to 65 percent of women.
• African Americans and whites report that they exercise less as they get older, however, African American women of all ages report participating in less regular exercise than white women.
• African American men, age 45 and older, report less regular exercise than white women.

Note: Readers should note that researchers have not always used the same criteria to identify overweight and obesity. In this fact sheet, AOA has attempted to use the generally accepted definitions for overweight as a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 25 to 29.9 and obesity as a BMI of 30 or more. We have made an effort to identify studies which have used these specific definitions as well as other scientifically accepted measurements such as waist circumference and waist to hip ratio.