In the United States, over the past 30 years, the prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased sharply for both adults and children. Between 1976–1980 and 2003–2004, the prevalence of obesity among adults aged 20–74 years increased from 15.0% to 32.9%. This increase is not limited to adults. Among young people, the prevalence of overweight increased from 5.0% to 13.9% for those aged 2–5 years, 6.5% to 18.8% for those aged 6– 11 years, and 5.0% to 17.4% for those aged 12–19 years. (http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/)
In 2005, only 4 states had obesity prevalence rates less than 20 percent, while 17 states had prevalence rates equal to or greater than 25 percent, with 3 of those having prevalences equal to or greater than 30 percent (Louisiana, Mississippi, and West Virginia).
In the United States 77% of adults consumed fruits and vegetables less than five times per day, compared to 80% of adults in West Virginia. (CDC, 2005 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System). Among West Virginia high school aged youth, 78% said that they ate fruits and vegetables less than five times per day and 83% said they had drank less than three glasses of milk within the past week. (2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey)
The percentage of Kanawha County adults that consumed fruits and vegetables less than five times per day was 77.5%, very close to the national percentage yet slightly under the state percentage. (CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, SMART data)
