NEW YORK, Aug. 27 -- The United States has been getting more obese over time -- in 1960, about 31.5 percent of American adults were overweight; in 2017, the latest period tracked by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the figure was 30.3 percent, the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday cited this official agency.

In 1960, however, 13.4 percent of adults were obese and 0.9 percent severely obese; by 2017, about 42.8 percent of adults were obese and 9.6 percent severely obese, it added.

The rate of obesity among children, about 20 percent, is especially worrisome. Obese children are more likely than those with healthy weights to have high blood pressure and diabetes, and more likely to be obese in adulthood.

"The toll this epidemic takes on the economy is horrific," noted the report. "Obesity and its consequences cost the U.S. healthcare system nearly 173 billion U.S. dollars a year, the CDC estimates."

Weight is typically measured by the body mass index, or BMI, which correlates weight with height. Roughly speaking (and not accounting for differences between males and females), a "healthy" weight for a 5-foot-10-inch person is reckoned by the CDC to be 128 to 173 pounds, which translates to a BMI of between 18.4 and 24.9.

Between 173 and 208 pounds places that person in the "overweight" category and heavier than that is judged to be "obese," defined as a BMI of 30 or higher. Those with a BMI of 40 or higher, or 278 pounds for a 5-foot-10 adult, are "severely obese."

  - Xinhua