Obesity

Indicator Definition 
Percent of adults (ages 18–64 years) who have a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30. BMI is a number based on a person’s weight and height. For most adults, BMI correlates with body fat. BMI may overestimate body fat in athletes and others who are muscular and underestimate body fat in older persons or those who have lost muscle mass.

Adult obesity in Colorado4

Adult obesity by income in Colorado5

Indicator Significance 
Since 1970, obesity rates have increased in the United States by more than 50 percent. Obesity is a serious public health problem. As the second leading cause of preventable death, obesity is a complex health condition that involves environmental, genetic, physiological, metabolic, behavioral and psychological aspects. In the United States, 127 million adults are considered overweight, 60 million obese and 9 million severely obese. Rates of obesity have increased for all adult age groups and across all regions of the United States, with adult women particularly at risk. Obese adults are two to three times more likely to die prematurely than those who are at a normal weight.¹

Colorado Specifics
Colorado is the leanest state in the country, but adult obesity rates are climbing here at a faster rate than the country as a whole. The adult obesity rate has more than doubled in Colorado since 1990 and now, like all other states, exceeds the Healthy People 2010 target. While obesity rates are higher for low-income Coloradans, even those in higher-income brackets who can most afford a healthy lifestyle exceed the Healthy People 2010 target of 15 percent.

Promising Initiatives
In Colorado
The Metro Denver Health and Wellness Commission recently issued a report that highlights both the health and economic costs of adult obesity. A broad coalition of 80 employers and community leaders has come together to promote policies and programs that support “a culture of healthy eating and active living.” Chaired by Lt. Gov. Barbara O’Brien, the Commission aims to reverse the negative trend in adult obesity by 2012 and increase the percentage of healthy-weight residents by 2017. To monitor progress, the Commission has selected eight indicators, seven of which are included in this Report Card, by which it compares the Metro Denver area to 25 similarly-sized metropolitan areas with which it competes in the economic development arena.² 

Elsewhere
Active Living Ramsey County, begun in 2005 by a coalition of business leaders, city, county and school officials in Minnesota, targets county residents of all ages who desire to change their health behaviors. The goal is to provide safe and convenient venues for physical activity. One of its projects, 1,000 Benches, strategically places benches so that they are a visible distance apart to promote walking and build a “community path to health, one step at a time.” The benches are made from recyclable materials, thus supporting local recycling programs. A comprehensive Geographic Information System has been developed that maps biking and pedestrian routes.³ 

Adult obesity⁶

Text

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Overweight and Obesity.”
   
2. Metro Denver Health and Wellness Commission. “Metro Denver 2007: A Report on the Health & Wellness of Our Community”; July 2007.
   
3. Active Living Ramsey County.
   

Charts

4. Source: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and Colorado Health Institute analysis of Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2000–2007.
   
5. Source: Colorado Health Institute analysis of Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2007, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
   
6. Source: Colorado Health Institute analysis of Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2007, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.