This document summarizes trends in obesity rates among different birth cohorts in the United States over a 35-year period. It shows that more recent birth cohorts have higher rates of obesity at younger ages and experience obesity over a longer period of their lives. For example, 30% of individuals in the 1966 birth cohort were obese between ages 30-39, compared to only 13% of those in the 1926 birth cohort. Younger generations are also experiencing obesity at earlier life stages, such as the 1976 cohort having obesity rates over 20% by ages 20-29. The trends are shown separately by sex and race.

1. Getting Heavier, Younger: Birth Cohort Trends in Obesity over the Life Course Joyce M. Lee MD, MPH Assistant Professor Pediatric Endocrinology and Health Services Research University of Michigan This slide show highlights generational changes in the obesity epidemic over a 35 year period.

2. % Obesity Lee JM et al, Int J Obes (Lond). This is a graph of obesity burden in the US by age and birth cohort. The blue line represents the 1926 cohort.

3. % Obesity Lee JM et al, Int J Obes (Lond). 13% You can see that ~13% of individuals were obese at 30-39 years.

4. % Obesity Lee JM et al, Int J Obes (Lond). 31% 13% By the time they reached 70-79 years of age, 31% were obese.

5. % Obesity Lee JM et al, Int J Obes (Lond). This dark green line shows the burden of obesity for the 1936 cohort.

6. % Obesity Lee JM et al, Int J Obes (Lond). This blue line shows the burden of obesity for the 1946 cohort.

7. % Obesity Lee JM et al, Int J Obes (Lond). This orange line shows the burden of obesity for the 1956 cohort.

8. % Obesity Lee JM et al, Int J Obes (Lond). This pink line shows the burden of obesity for the 1966 cohort.

9. % Obesity Lee JM et al, Int J Obes (Lond). This purple line shows the burden of obesity for the 1976 cohort.

10. % Obesity Lee JM et al, Int J Obes (Lond). This red line shows the burden of obesity for the 1986 cohort.

11. % Obesity Lee JM et al, Int J Obes (Lond). Finally, the black triangle shows the burden of obesity for the 1996 cohort. You can see that for younger birth cohorts, the lines are moving up and over to the left.

12. % Obesity Lee JM et al, Int J Obes (Lond). The lines moving up means that younger birth cohorts are obese in greater numbers for a given age.

13. % Obesity 30% Lee JM et al, Int J Obes (Lond). For example, by 30-39 years of age, almost 30% of individuals in the 1966 cohort were obese.

14. % Obesity 30% 13% Lee JM et al, Int J Obes (Lond). In comparison by 30-39 years of age, only 13% of individuals in the 1926 cohort were obese.

15. % Obesity Lee JM et al, Int J Obes (Lond). The lines moving to the left means that younger generations of US individuals are now experiencing a longer duration of obesity over their lifetime.

16. % Obesity Lee JM et al, Int J Obes (Lond). For example, the burden of obesity in the 1926 cohort exceeded 20% by the time they were 50-59 years of age.

17. % Obesity Lee JM et al, Int J Obes (Lond). This level of obesity (>20%) was reached a decade earlier at 40-49 years of age for the 1936 birth cohort.

18. % Obesity Lee JM et al, Int J Obes (Lond). This level of obesity (>20%) was reached a decade earlier at 30-39 years of age for the 1946 birth cohort.

19. % Obesity Lee JM et al, Int J Obes (Lond). Finally, this level of obesity (>20%) was reached a decade earlier at 20-29 years of age for the 1976 and 1966 birth cohorts.

20. Birth Cohort Trends In Obesity by Sex

21. % Obesity US Male Individuals Lee JM et al, Int J Obes (Lond). This slide shows birth cohort trends in obesity for US male individuals.

22. % Obesity Lee JM et al, Int J Obes (Lond). This slide shows birth cohort trends in obesity for US female individuals.

23. Birth Cohort Trends in Obesity by Race

24. % Obesity US White Individuals Lee JM et al, Int J Obes (Lond). This slide shows birth cohort trends in obesity for US white individuals .

25. % Obesity US Black Individuals Lee JM et al, Int J Obes (Lond). This slide shows birth cohort trends in obesity for US black individuals.