Nov. 13, 2015 – According to a new report by the CDC, for the past several years, experts thought the nation’s long-term rise in obesity had leveled off. But the CDC said that the obesity rate has climbed to nearly 38% of adults, up from 32% about a decade earlier. Experts said they had no explanation for why the obesity rate appears to be rising.
The report was based primarily on a survey conducted in 2013-14 and also found a tipping of the scales toward women. Obesity rates for men and women had been about the same for a decade. But in the new report, the rate was significantly higher for women, at 38%, vs. 34% for men.
This widening gap between men and women seems to be driven by what’s happening among blacks and Hispanics.
The obesity rates for white men and white women remain very close. But for blacks, the female obesity rate has soared to 57% far above the male rate of 38%. The gender gap is widening among Hispanics, too — 46% for women, 39% for men.
Marketdata Commentary:
This latest survey shows that the demand for good weight loss programs is probably going to be with us for a long time. It also reveals that, as we have said before in our press releases and market reports, there is a definite need for weight loss plans/programs customized to overweight black and Hispanic women. Most diet companies still don’t offer this.