Description
Presenter: Stephanie Bres Corbin, Masterfoods USA
Obesity has become a global public health concern. The number of overweight people is higher than ever, and the propensity of this population to become even more obese has raised the awareness of scientists, politicians, health organizations, journalists, media and the general public. In the United States, obesity continues to steadily increase. Currently, 64.5 percent (120 million people) of the U.S. adult population is overweight and almost 31 percent (59 million people) is obese (Figure 1). Obesity is also affecting our children (Figure 2), with a 36 percent increase in obesity from 1994 to 2000. Obesity, which is a risk factor for over 30 diseases and medical conditions (e.g., heart disease, diabetes and cancer), is currently the second leading cause of preventable death after smoking with an estimated 300,000 deaths per year. The increases in obesity have resulted in increased healthcare costs and reduced workplace productivity. In 2001, obesity cost the United States $123 billion for both direct and indirect costs. This is a significant increase in costs from 1986 when the economic impact of obesity was estimated to be $39.3 billon
