The percentage of adolescents aged 12-19 years who were obese increased from 5% in 1980 to 18% in 2008.

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The Weight of the Nation

Confronting America's obesity epidemic
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  • Fact
    According to Nielsen data, comparing 2008 to 2010, preschool children were exposed to 50% more TV ads for energy drinks in 2010.
    Currently in the United States, 4% of elementary schools, 8% of middle schools, and 2% of high schools provide daily physical education or its equivalent.
    One in four adults gets no leisure-time moderate or vigorous physical activity at all.
    79 million Americans have prediabetes.
    The obese workforce costs American business an estimated $73.1 billion per year.
    Children consume more than 7.5 hours of media a day, 7 days a week.
    Sugar-sweetened beverages are the largest source of sugar in the diets of children and adolescents.
    About 46% of adults' added sugar intake comes from sugary drinks.
    The percentage of adolescents aged 12-19 years who were obese increased from 5% in 1980 to 18% in 2008.
    The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend 60 minutes of physical activity every day for children.
    90% of parents with obese children do not seek medical help.
    The percentage of children aged 6-11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 20% in 2008.
    The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate to intense aerobic activity every week for adults.
    In the 25 years between 1987 and 2010, the number of American's diagnosed with diabetes almost tripled to 20.9 million.
    In the United States in 2010, over 63% of people are overweight or obese.
    One study showed that obese people are 83% more likely to develop kidney disease compared to normal-weight people.
    40% of every dollar spent on food is spent on food prepared outside the home.
    Food obtained outside the home tends to be higher in calories and fat than food prepared at home.
    Half of obese teenage girls become extremely obese by their early 30s.

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