Many Americans have an inaccurate perception of their health, according to a recent poll of 1,000 adults by Ipsos Public Affairs from July 30-August 3, 2009.
While 67 percent of poll subjects said they considered themselves to be at a healthy weight, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that 63 percent of adults are either overweight or obese.
The CDC has found that from 2004 to 2008 the prevalence of obese adults increased by 4 percent and that an additional 37 percent of adults are considered overweight.
The CDC defines obesity as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater. A BMI of 25-29.9 means a person is overweight.
You can calculate your BMI on the CDC Web site via this link.
Though 30 percent of poll participants said they were overweight, only 14 percent said they were currently dieting.
In addition, 49 percent of poll participants said that being obese or overweight is not a health problem.
According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, the health problems associated with being obese or overweight include: heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, abnormal blood fats, metabolic syndrome, cancer, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, reproductive problems and gallstones.