Salt Lake Valley Health Department
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Weigh Active and Healthy
Weigh Active and Healthy
2001 South State Street, S2400
Salt Lake City, Utah 84190
(385) 468-4064
Obesity
In the United States, about two-thirds of the adult population is overweight or obese and Utah is no exception to that with 57% overweight or obese. Click here for more information about overweight/obesity trends in the U.S. Obesity is becoming more common every day with adults in the U.S. but recently has become even more prevalent in children. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Obesity Index.
Obesity is defined by the CDC as having a body mass index of 30 or greater but more simply, obesity is having a high proportion of body fat that can put individuals at a much greater risk for developing serious chronic diseases and health risks such as diabetes, some cancers, heart disease, high blood pressure, high total cholesterol, stroke, sleep apnea, arthritis, and more. Calculate your Body Mass Index online.
Nationally, costs of overweight or obesity are estimated at a total of $117 billion each year. However, overweight and obesity can be reduced and improve health risks by making small but crucial behavior changes such as increasing physical activity and making healthier food choices.
Local Efforts
In the Salt Lake Valley we are dedicated to reducing our overweight and obese population currently at 57.3%. Some areas of the valley have higher percentage than others.
For example, West Jordan North has an overweight or obese rate at 66.6% while the Avenues is only 38.9%. Some factors that may influence the overweight/obesity rate is that only about 33% of the county residents are eating 2 or more servings of fruits each day, only about 22% are eating 3 or more servings of vegetables each day, and only a little more than half (53.4%) of residents are getting at least the recommended amount of physical activity. Other risks factors for obesity include age, gender, and family history.
The Importance of Physical Activity
The U.S. Health and Human Services recently stated that “Adults gain substantial health benefits from two and one half hours a week of moderate aerobic physical activity.” More information about physical activity recommendations.