Nutrition Science and Everyday Application - beta v 0.1

OBESITY EPIDEMIC: CAUSES AND SOLUTIONS 407
has seen similar increases over the last few decades—perhaps an even greater concern as
the metabolic and health effects of carrying too much weight can be compounded over a
person’s entire lifetime.
Figure 7.19. Between 1999 and 2016, the prevalence of obesity in both children and adults has
risen steadily.
While obesity is a problem across the United States, it affects some groups of people more
than others. Based on 2015-2016 data, obesity rates are higher among Hispanic (47 percent)
and Black adults (47 percent) compared with white adults (38 percent). Non-Hispanic Asians
have the lowest obesity rate (13 percent). And overall, people who are college-educated
and have a higher income are less likely to be obese. 2 These health disparities point to the
importance of looking at social context when examining causes and solutions. Not everyone
has the same opportunity for good health, or an equal ability to make changes to their
circumstances, because of factors like poverty and longstanding inequities in how resources
are invested in communities. These factors are called “social determinants of health.” 3
The obesity epidemic is also not unique to the United States. Obesity is rising around the
globe, and in 2015, it was estimated to affect 2 billion people worldwide, making it one of the
largest factors affecting poor health in most countries . 4 Globally, among children aged 5 to
19 years old, the rate of overweight increased from 10.3 percent in 2000 to 18.4 percent in
2018. Previously, overweight and obesity mainly affected high-income countries, but some
of the most dramatic increases in childhood overweight over the last decade have been in
low income countries, such as those in Africa and South Asia, corresponding to a greater
availability of inexpensive, processed foods. 5