Newton Is Still Getting Fatter – Just at a Slower Rate

By Heather Martino

America’s epidemic of fatness extends all the way to Newton, with county obesity rates at 30.4 percent for men in 2011. Using the map above, you can see the rate was only 20.2 percent for men in 2001.

Obesity in Massachusetts increased only slightly less than Newton and the rest of Middlesex County, with an 8.1 percentage point increase in the same time period for men.

Compared to neighboring Suffolk County, Middlesex is heavier overall and increased its overall girth more than our neighbors to the east.

The county figures on the map were obtained from a recent study from the University of Washington, which found that nationwide women are more obese than their male counterparts.

But men and women aren’t gaining weight at the same rate: In Suffolk County, men reported a 10.2 percentage point increase, while women’s obesity rates rose 8.4 percentage points from 2001-2011.

According to the CDC, obesity affects more than one-third of adults, or 35.7 percent of the population in the United States. Obesity is calculated by measuring a person’s height and weight, and deriving at a ratio called the body mass index, or BMI. This number often correlates to an individual’s amount of body fat, and is used to ascertain whether a person is considered underweight, a normal weight, overweight or obese.

Obese individuals have a 50-100 percent increased risk of premature death, and it’s estimated that obesity may be the cause of 300,000 deaths per year according to the UUS Department of Health and Human Services.

Interestingly, Americans claim to be exercising more during the same time period that obesity climbed. 

“Around the country, you can see huge increases in the percentage of people becoming physically active, which research tells us is certain to have health benefits,” said IHME Director Dr. Christopher Murray in a press release. Murray added that “If communities in the US can replicate this success and tackle the ongoing obesity impact, it will see more substantial health gains.”

The good news is that there may be silver lining to America’s fat epidemic. While we’re still getting fatter, at least it’s happening at a slower rate than in past years.