Annual Deaths Attributable to Obesity in the United States

Abstract

Obesity is a serious medical problem, increasing in prevalence, affecting millions,¹ and of great interest to the public. To articulate the burden of obesity, investigators have used indicators such as prevalence,^1,2 economic cost,³ and association with risk factors and diseases.⁴ However, there is little published scientific information on the number of annual obesity-attributable deaths in the United States.