Obesity

  • There are 71.3 million overweight and obese adult women, representing 62.3 percent of the women in the U.S.

  • 40.1 million women are obese, representing 35.2 percent of women with a BMI equal or greater than 30.

  • 26.5 percent of Caucasian women are overweight and 32.8 percent are obese.

  • 26.7 percent of African- American women are overweight and 51 percent are obese.

  • 31.7 percent of Mexican- American women are overweight and 43.4 percent are obese.

  • Within 30 years, the percent of obese adult women has more than doubled:

    • 1976-1980; 17.1 percent obese
    • 2003-2006; 35.2 percent obese

Heart disease

  • 42.7 million women are currently living with some form of cardiovascular disease. More than 8 million women have a history of heart attack and/or angina.

  • Seven and a half million women will suffer angina.

  • Heart disease is the leading cause of death of American women, killing more than a third of them.

  • More women than men die of heart disease each year.