Since 1960, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) provides the trends in the prevalence of obesity in the United States by collecting data on height and weight measurements. This article reported the results from the latest NHANES data for 2007-2008 regarding population trends in obesity and also compared the results since 1999. Results showed that the prevalence of obesity remained high, exceeding 30% in most sex and age groups. For women, the prevalence of obesity showed no statistically significant changes over the 10-year period from 1999 through 2008. For men, there was a significant linear trend over the same period, but the 3 most recent data points did not differ significantly from each other. The current study using 2007-2008 data suggests that the steady upward trend in the prevalence of overweight and obesity may have slowed. In his editorial comment, Gaziano JM describes the new stage of the epidemiologic transition as the age of obesity and inactivity. He mentions that the obesity epidemic is threatening the progress that had been made in both quality and longevity of life by addressing risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. However, there is little consensus on the ideal approach to weight management. Lifestyle changes are without a doubt the best way to reduce weight, but effective treatment strategies require a multifaceted approach to achieve a long term weight management. Moreover, he underlines the importance of taking aggressive actions to better prevent, manage and treat overweight and obesity.
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