About the Indicator

This indicator draws upon data from the Western New York Health Risk Assessment, a study conducted by the University at Buffalo Department of Family Medicine between June 2004 and March 2005. The study gathered data on the health behaviors and health conditions of Western New York adults ages 18 and up. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated based on self-reported heights and weights, by dividing weight in kilograms by height in meters squared. BMI categories reported include: underweight (BMI less than 18.5); healthy weight (BMI between 18.5 and 24.9); overweight (BMI between 25 and 29.9) and obese (BMI of 30 or more). Survey respondents were also asked whether, over the past 12 months, they experienced “any heart condition or heart problem” and/or “diabetes or high blood sugar.”

Regional Performance

Three out of every five Western New York adults, or 60%, is above a healthy weight for their height, with 37% considered overweight and 24% obese. These percentages represent an increase from 1999 when 35% of adults in the region were overweight and 18% were obese.

The rates of obesity and overweight in Western York are slightly higher than they are statewide, with 35% of New Yorkers overweight and another 22% obese in 2003. Western New York is doing slightly better than the nation as a whole, however. According to latest estimates, nearly two-thirds, or 65%, of American adults are either overweight or obese.

Each county in Western New York saw an increase in its percentage of adults who are overweight or obese between 1999 and 2004. The increase was largest in Allegany and Genesee Counties, which had the highest percentages of adults above a healthy weight. In not one Western New York county was the rate of overweight and obesity less than the statewide average of 57%, although it came close in Niagara, Chautauqua, Erie and Wyoming Counties which, at 58%, have the lowest rates in the region.

Prevalence rates vary significantly by race and ethnicity. Western New York’s black population has the highest rate of overweight and obesity (66%), while Asians have the lowest (21%). American Indians have the highest obesity rates (36%), while only 4% of Asians are considered obese. Men in Western New York are overweight at nearly twice the rate of women (44% versus 23%), although the rate of obesity is about the same for both genders. Prevalence of overweight in the region also varies by age, increasing from 30% of the population ages 18-44 to about 36% of those ages 44 and up. Obesity rates are highest among 44-64 year olds (27%) and lowest for those ages 65 and up (18%).

Closer Look

The alarmingly high and increasing percentages of overweight and obese persons are described as a public health threat since these conditions are major risk factors for many serious diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancers. While only 2.3% of healthy weight adults in Western New York has been medically diagnosed with diabetes, one in five obese adults report having this condition. The rate of heart disease—the leading cause of death both locally as well as statewide and nationally—is three times as high among obese adults in the region as it is among those who are at a healthy weight (15.4% versus 5.1%).

Also striking is the fact that 84% of Western New York adults diagnosed with diabetes are overweight or obese. Just under three-quarters (72%) of those diagnosed with a heart condition have a body mass index equal to or more than 25. These percentages represent significant increases from 1999, suggesting that more new cases of diabetes and heart disease across the region are caused by overweight and obesity rather than other risk factors such as heredity, smoking or increasing age.