NEW HIGH IN OBESITY RATE FOR WOMEN

On June 7, 2016, the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new data on American obesity.  The figures are from surveys done in 2013 and 2014. Now over forty percent of women in the U.S. are obese, compared to thirty-five percent of men. According to the World Health Organization, fifteen percent of women worldwide and eleven percent of men are obese. While the problem affects all Americans, differences between racial and ethnic groups are striking. About 57% of black American women are obese, compared to roughly 47% of Hispanic women, 38% of white women, and 12% of Asian women.