Weight

In U.S., More Would Like to Lose Weight Than Are Trying To

Six in 10 Americans are above their ideal weight

November 20, 2009
Many more Americans are heavier than their ideal weight (62%) or say they would like to lose weight (55%) than are seriously trying to lose weight at this time (27%).More ...

Obesity and Diabetes: Across States, a Clear Relationship

More states trending up than down on both health outcomes compared to 2008

August 20, 2009
Residents of Colorado, Hawaii, and Utah in the first half of 2009 were the least likely to be obese, while Mississippi, West Virginia, Alaska, and Arkansas residents were the most likely. The 10 least obese states have an average diabetes rate of 9.1%, compared to an average rate of 12.1% in the 10 most obese states.More ...

Americans’ Weight Issues Not Going Away

Six in 10 want to lose weight, but only 30% are seriously trying to do so

November 26, 2008
Going by the self-reported weight status of U.S. adults, a new Gallup Poll finds men and women weighing more, on average, than they did earlier this decade, and a record-high 38% of women saying they are seriously trying to lose weight.More ...

Impact of Smoking, Being Overweight on a Person’s Image

Majority of Americans say neither affects their opinion

July 21, 2008
The majority of Americans say the fact that a person smokes or is significantly overweight does not affect their opinion of that person, although 40% say they have a more negative opinion of smokers, and 29% have a more negative opinion of someone who is significantly overweight.More ...

Average American Weighs 17 Pounds More Than “Ideal”

Most Americans report an actual weight different from their ideal weight

November 28, 2007
The average American man weighs 191 pounds while the average woman weighs 159. For the majority of Americans, these self-reported actual weights are larger than what would be ideal, by an average of 17 pounds.More ...

Education

Overall, how satisfied are you with the quality of education students receive in kindergarten through grade twelve in the U.S. today -- would you say you are completely satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied or completely dissatisfied? Now thinking about the school your oldest child attends, do you think there is too much emphasis, the right amount, or too little emphasis on [RANDOM ORDER -- Sports. Preparing for standardized tests. Reading and English. Art and music. Sciences. Physical education. Foreign languages. Health. Composition or writing. Math. History.]?More ...

Personal Weight Situation

How would you describe your own personal weight situation right now -- very overweight, somewhat overweight, about right, somewhat underweight, or very underweight? How often do you worry about your weight? Would you say you worry all of the time, some of the time, not too often or never? How many different times, if any, have you seriously tried to lose weight in your life?More ...

Close to 6 in 10 Americans Want to Lose Weight

But few willing to consider surgery

March 10, 2006
According to a recent Gallup poll, 56% of Americans say they want to lose weight, including 18% who want to lose "a lot" of weight. Only 2% of people who want to shed some pounds say they would definitely like to have stomach surgery to reach that goal. Women are twice as likely as men to want to lose "a lot" of weight, though about the same percentage of each group wants to lose "a little" weight.More ...

Americans Relatively Active, but Outweigh British and Canadians

U.S. men are especially hefty by comparison

February 27, 2006
Recent Gallup polling in the United States, Great Britain, and Canada indicates that American adults have a bigger weight problem than do the British or Canadians, with the difference especially pronounced among men. Britain's Prince Charles blames the lack of exercise in modern lifestyles for Britain's burgeoning weight problem. But Gallup's exercise polling casts some doubt on that thesis.More ...

Nearly One in Five Teens Is Overweight

"Junk" food factors into most teen diets

February 13, 2006
According to a recent Gallup Youth study, 18% of U.S. teens aged 13 to 17 describe themselves as overweight. Overweight teens are no more likely than other teens to admit to abusing junk food, but they do appear to be less physically active. Obesity ties with cancer as the issue teenagers identify as the most serious health problem facing the country.More ...
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