Obesity facts

About 30 percent of American adults are obese. For a 5-foot-4 woman, for instance, this means she is 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight...The United States spent $75.1 billion last year on medical expenses, such as drugs, doctor visits and hospitalizations, related to obesity, according to a study published this month in the journal Obesity Research...obesity-related health problems accounted for 5.7 percent of the nation's total medical expenses...obesity-related costs were about 10.6 percent, or $21.3 billion, of total expenses for Medicaid, the government's health program for low-income Americans...the costs represented about 6.8 percent, or $17.7 billion, of expenses for Medicare, the government health program for senior citizens and the disabled. (Philadelphia Inquirer)