TY - JOUR T1 - CAloric imbalance and public health policy AU - Koplan JP, Dietz WH Y1 - 1999/10/27 N1 - 10.1001/jama.282.16.1579 JO - JAMA SP - 1579 EP - 1581 VL - 282 IS - 16 N2 - Obesity is epidemic in the United States. More than 50% of US adults are now overweight, based on a body mass index (BMI) of 25 kg/m2 or more.1 Furthermore, 22% of the US adult population is obese, based on a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or more, equivalent to approximately 13.5 kg (30 lb) overweight. Three percent of US adults have a BMI of 40 kg/m2 or more, which represents a weight excess of approximately 45 kg (100 lb). Blacks and Hispanics are disproportionally affected. As the study by Mokdad and colleagues in this issue of THE JOURNAL2 clearly demonstrates, the increase in the prevalence of obesity has been rapid. No area of the country has been spared. SN - 0098-7484 M3 - doi: 10.1001/jama.282.16.1579 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.282.16.1579 ER -