Friday, November 22, 2024
11/22/2024
PROJECT SUMMARY Over the last twenty years, US obesity prevalence increased by over a third, with the prevalence of severe obesity increasing by 96%. Nearly 3 in 4 adults are classified as overweight or obese, and 13% of these adults have severe obesity. Over this same period, the prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents increased by nearly 40%, and the prevalence of severe obesity increased by 70%. Approximately 16% of children and adolescents are overweight and another 20% are obese. These figures have led policymakers and public health officials to call obesity a national epidemic. Obesity is expensive in terms of lives lost and cost to the healthcare system. Severe obesity is estimated to shorten life expectancy by up to 14 years, and the estimated annual medical cost of obesity is nearly $200 million. Individuals with excess bodyweight are at elevated risk for the leading causes of preventable, premature death, including heart disease, diabetes, and at least 13 different types of cancer. Compared to healthy weight children, obese children are more likely to have elevated blood pressure, display early signs of atherosclerosis, have a four times greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes, are more likely to develop cancer by age 30, and are more likely to die by age 30. To help address the obesity epidemic, the CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity awards state and county health departments, land-grant universities, and community-focused groups funds to support programs promoting physical activity and nutrition across the lifespan. To identify the effects of federal funds for obesity prevention on weight-related health behaviors, the prevalence of obesity, and the incidence of obesity-related chronic health conditions, our study will leverage variation in which counties and states received awards, when they received the awards, how much funding they received, and the demographic groups targeted by the awards. In doing so, our project will yield important insights for public health officials looking to understand how to reduce the prevalence of obesity in their own local settings.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
