Medical Management of Adult Obesity

Abstract

Obesity has become a major public health problem. More than 300 million adults are affected world wide, and among them 20% are Americans (1).  Obesity causes over 300,000 deaths yearly, making it the second most common cause of preventable death in the United Sates (2).  Currently nearly two thirds of Americans are overweight and half of them are obese, the number of which has doubled since 1980.  The prevalence of overweight and obesity among American children and adolescents (age 6 – 19 years) has tripled since 1963.  On average, American adults are one inch taller and 25 lbs heavier today than they were in 1960.  How did we become so fat?