Nearly HALF of all Americans will be obese by 2030

Almost half of US adults will be obese and one-quarter will be severely obese by 2030, a new study says.

Researchers from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health also predict that, in 29 states, more than half the population will be obese and – in all 50 states – the prevalence of obesity will be higher than 35 percent. 

Currently, 40 percent of American adults are obese and 18 percent are considered severely obese. 

The team says its findings are worrying because rising rates of obesity and severe obesity will increase the risk of several diseases, take a toll on healthcare costs and see more Americans dying prematurely.

A new study from Harvard TH Chan School In Public Health predicts more than half the population will be obese in 29 states and all 50 states will have an obesity prevalence higher than 35% (file image)

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Obesity is known as a risk factor for several chronic health conditions including type 2 diabetes, strokes, heart attacks and even certain types of cancer.

Health officials say that addressing the obesity epidemic will not only lead to better health outcomes but also reduce medical costs.

In 2012, a study from Cornell University in New York found obesity accounts for about 21 percent of total US health care costs, approximately $ 190.2 billion per year.

Obesity continues to plague more than one-third of adults in the US, and experts have warned that that proportion will only grow as younger generations do.

For the new study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the team looked at the body mass index (BMI) of 6.2 million adults between 1993 and 2016.

BMI is a measure of body size that is calculated by dividing a person’s weight in kilograms by the square of their height in meters.  

A healthy BMI is typically measured between 18.5 and 24.9. Anything under 18.5 is considered underweight. 

BMIs between 25 and 29.9 fall into overweight territory. Above 30 is considered obese and above 40 is severe obesity.

Lead author Zachary Ward, a programmer/analyst at Harvard’s Center for Health Decision Science, said he was surprised by the finding that every state would have an obesity prevalence of 35 percent or more by 2030.

According to the latest findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just nine US states currently have obesity rates of at least 35 percent.

But, in a decade, some states will have an obesity prevalence close to 60 percent, while the lowest states will be nearing 40 percent. 

‘In just 10 years, even the best states [currently] are going to be the worst states,’ he told DailyMail.com.

‘The rise of severe obesity was also surprising. It’s something that we did not expect.’   

The researchers also broke down obesity rates by socioeconomic factors including race and income level.

They found that BMIs classified as severe obesity were going to be most common among women, non-Hispanic black adults, and people making $ 50,000 a year or less. 

‘This has a number of implications for Medicaid healthcare costs,’ Ward said.

‘It has strong implications for healthcare spending, the job opportunities people have. The economic stigma could have wider implications.’

The team is now calling on lawmakers at the state and federal level to take action, such as implementing a sugar-sweetened beverage tax.    

‘Firstly, even slowing down or keeping the rates constant would be a public health victory itself,’ Ward said.

‘There are huge dissipates by race, socioeconomic status but everyone is going up. Not one state is doing particularly well and a lot more needs to be done.   

‘We’ve been talking about obesity for years. Prevention is really going to be the key to managing the epidemic.’