More info

Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in Michigan, placing a heavy economic burden on Michigan. Additionally, obesity is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease, as well as many other serious health problems. Rates of obesity have risen dramatically in recent years, for both adults and children.

Consider:

• Sixty-two percent of Michigan adults are overweight or obese (CDC, 2002).
• Twenty-four percent of non-Hispanic white adults, thirty-five percent of non-Hispanic black adults and thirty-one percent of Hispanic adults in Michigan are obese (CDC, 2002)
• The obesity rate among Michigan adults increased by eighty-percent from 1990 to 2002 (CDC, 2002).
• Twenty-four percent of Michigan high school students are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight (CDC, 2001).
• Twenty-eight percent of low-income children age 2-5 years in Michigan are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight (CDC, 2002).