Over the past 30 years, overweight and obesity levels have skyrocketed. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) found 47% of Americans overweight and 15% obese in the mid-1970s; by 2003, 66% were overweight and 32% obese. Among young people, NHANES says 19% of six- to 11-year-olds are overweight. The health consequences are enormous: the Centers for Disease Control recently warned that, if children's current eating habits persist, 30%-40% will eventually have diabetes.
No state has fewer than 16% of adults qualifying as obese, and the number is closer to 25% in many states. The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors says 46 had obesity rates greater than 20%, three over 30%, in 2005. In the midst of this, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has set a goal of reducing obesity levels nationwide in adults to 15% or less of the population in states by 2010.