Tags: Obesity, Obesity epidemic, Health implications, Weigh gain, Nutrition, Physical activity, Mortality

This paper presents recent trends in obesity prevalence in significant population segments, including overall effects by age, gender and certain racial and ethnic groups, and discusses the ways in which obesity can influence mortality in each of these segments. It provides a synthesis of reported mortality experience relating to these behaviors by risk factors and diseases that will affect any mortality projection. Although usually measured in terms of Body Mass Index (BMI), alternative measures of adiposity, such as waist circumference, have shown that obesity, in one shape or another, can affect future mortality and morbidity levels

Human Behavior - an impediment to future mortality improvement.pdf