What percentage of Americans are overweight?

Weight control is a serious problem in the United States. About 66 percent of American adults are overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Overweight and obesity have reached epidemic proportions here in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2007-2008), approximately 68 percent of American adults are now overweight or obese. This means, more than 72 million U.S. adults are obese and living a lower quality of life.

Since 1980, the number of overweight children in the Unites States has more than tripled. Approximately 9 million U.S. children and teens, aged 6-19 years, are now overweight.

Obesity is the number two cause of preventable death in the United States. Being overweight or obese not only decreases your quality of life, but also increases your risk of developing many chronic health conditions.

Citizens of the world's richest countries are getting fatter and fatter, and the Americans are leading the charge. Three out of four Americans will be overweight or obese by 2020.

In 10 years, a full 75% of Americans will be overweight, making it the fattest country in the OECD. About 86% of U.S. adults would be overweight or obese by 2030 if current trends continue.