ABSTRACT
Obesity rates worldwide have steadily increased in the last three decades. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) latest projections indicate that globally in 2008, approximately 1.5 billion adults (age: 20+) were overweight; of these, more than 200 million men and nearly 300 million women were obese. WHO further projects that by 2015, approximately 2.3 billion adults will be overweight and more than 700 million will be obese.1 Nearly 43 million children under the age of 5 years were overweight globally in 2010.1 In the United States, about 34% of adults-almost 73 million people-were obese (roughly 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight) in 2008, up from 31% in 1999.2 Thirty-three states had a prevalence of obesity to be equal to or greater than 25%; nine of these states (Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and West Virginia) had a prevalence of obesity equal to or greater than 30%. In 2009, only Colorado and the District of Columbia had a prevalence of obesity less than 20%.2
