Fifth Phase of the Epidemiologic Transition, The Age of Obesity and Inactivity

Chicago: J. Michael Gaziano, M.D., M.P.H., of the Massachusetts Veterans Research and Information Center; VA Boston Healthcare System; Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, and Contributing Editor, JAMA, writes in an accompanying editorial that while the studies in this issue of JAMA on the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the U.S. may offer some good news as far as trends, it is still a serious problem in the U.S.

“But even if these trends can be maintained, 68 percent of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, and almost 32 percent of school-aged U.S. children and adolescents are at or above the 85th percentile of BMI for age. Given the risk of obesity-related major health problems, a massive public health campaign to raise awareness about the effects of overweight and obesity is necessary. Such campaigns have been successful in communicating the dangers of smoking, hypertension, and dyslipidemia; educating physicians, other clinicians, and the public has yielded significant returns.

Major research initiatives are needed to identify better management and treatment options. The longer the delay in taking aggressive action, the higher the likelihood that the significant progress achieved in decreasing chronic disease rates during the last 40 years will be negated, possibly even with a decrease in life expectancy.”

Contact: Karen Hunter
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email ksh7@CDC.GOV