Findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that more than 30 percent of adults in the United States are classified as obese, marking a new high (or low).
According to the CDC, 30.4 percent of Americans are classified as obese, and that number is up from 29.8 percent in 2014. The numbers show that no demographic is immune from obesity. According to the latest CDC statistics:
- 45 percent of black females over the age of 20 are classified as obese, compared to 33.8 percent of Hispanic females and 27.7 percent of white females.
- 34.5 percent of black males over the age of 20 are classified as obese, compared to 31.1 percent of Hispanics and 30.3 percent of white males.
- When looking at age, 34.9 percent of Americans between the age of 40 and 59 are classified as obese, followed by ages 60 and up (30.1%) and ages 20-39 (26.7%).
- The overall data shows a stark climb from 1997, when the prevalence of obesity for adults ages 20 and over was 19.5 percent.
Obesity and Your Feet
Your feet are tasked with shouldering your body weight, so the heavier you are, the harder it is going to be on your feet. As I mentioned in a previous post about BMI and foot pain, for every pound of weight you add, you’re actually adding three more pounds of stress to your feet. This is problematic because your foot is comprised of 38 joints, and while your feet are very durable, this repetitive stress takes a toll over the years. Losing weight is not only good for your heart health, but it can also help resolve foot pain brought upon by overloading.
If you’re overweight, you’re also more likely to suffer a foot fracture than someone with a lesser BMI. A recent study showed that overweight children were at greater risk for foot fractures than their healthy-weighted counterparts.
Finally, being overweight can contribute to other conditions that can affect your feet, most notably diabetes. Studies show that a person with diabetes is 15 times more likely to have a foot or leg amputated than someone without the condition.
So while I never cheer for injuries, the data from the CDC suggests that I may soon see a steady stream of patients with weight-related foot problems. Hopefully people listen to the warning and take steps to better their overall health.