Over two-thirds of Americans are overweight: New Study

More than two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese, a major new study has found.

Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, analysed data from the National Health and  Nutrition Examination Survey from 2007 to 2012 to estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity.

They collected data for 15,208 men and women 25 or older, a sample that was representative of more than 188 million people. The study by Graham A Colditz and Lin Yang estimates that 39.96% of men (36.3 million) and 29.74% of women (almost 28.9 million) were overweight and 35.04% of men (31.8 million) and 36.84% of women (nearly 35.8 million) were obese.

"Population-based strategies helping to reduce modifiable risk factors such as physical environment interventions, enhancing primary care efforts to prevent and treat obesity, and altering societal norms of behaviour are required," researchers said.

The study was published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.