Obesity and weight issues are well-known problems in modern societies worldwide. In the United States this problem in severe with an extremely high rate of obesity and overweight people, amongst both the adult and younger population. This issue is often related to the American lifestyle, which includes fast food as one of its most famous components.

Within the United States, it is in the south that the highest obesity rates exist. Differences in the obesity rate can also be seen between ethnic groups. In 2010, almost three quarters of all African Americans were classed as being overweight or obese, making this ethnic group the one with the highest rate in America. When looking at gender, men are recorded as suffering from higher rates at a lower class of obesity, while amongst women more fall within the upper class of obesity.

Weight issues and obesity are being discussed more and more at a higher level and government spending in this area has recently increased to attempt to address the resulting health costs to the economy. All future scenarios for obesity in the U.S. show a significant increase in expenditures still to come. This could have serious implications for the cost for diseases that result from obesity and being overweight, like diabetes or heart diseases for example.

Given the fact, that most physicians see diet and exercise as being the most important tool against obesity and weight issues, the existing obesity prescription market volume is relatively small. In 2009 for example, leading pharmaceutical markets like the United States and the European Union generated revenues of only 130 million and 370 million U.S. dollars, respectively. Photo: istockphoto.com / sjhuls

• • Overview
  • U.S. obesity by characteristics
  • Sample U.S. states
• • Overweight/obesity and younger people
  • Costs due to obesity
  • Market and companies