Obesity in the U.S
Rapid, excessive weight gain in early life often translates into persistent obesity, which may be in turn be associated with earlier onset of several health complications.
Obesity Dynamics Project
Emory Global Diabetes Research Center
Prevalence of Self-Reported Obesity Among U.S. Adults by State and Territory, BRFSS, 2021.
Source: Behavioural Risk Factor Survaillance System- CDC
About
of adults in the U.S. have obesity
of children and adolescents in the U.S. have obesity
About
Our Project
Dynamics and Health Consequences of Obesity between Infancy and Young Adulthood in the United States
Given the public health importance of obesity, understanding the implications of its patterning, including age of onset, duration of exposure and patterns of reversal is critical to identifying vulnerable age periods, groups at highest risks, and lifetime health consequences.
Combining multiple nationally representative panel datasets, we propose to estimate the age-specific incidence of obesity during childhood and adulthood among contemporary cohorts of Americans, to estimate their duration and level of exposure to unhealthy BMI, and to estimate the links between these dynamics and the emergence of subsequent health complications. These analyses will quantify the long-term health implications of exposure to high BMI early in life and will provide estimates for the effectiveness and broader benefits of policies and programs aimed at reducing and preventing obesity.
