Who’s More Overweight, Women or Men?

    Since weight is often thought of as a woman’s issue, most of us would be tempted to answer that question by saying women are. But there are actually more overweight men in the US than overweight women.
According to the latest national statistics, 71 percent of adult men and 62 percent of adult women are overweight. When it comes to obesity, the news is different—there are more obese women than obese men.

    The landscape when it comes to who’s more obese seems to be changing, however. The rate among adult women is about 33 percent and has stayed relatively steady for several years. And although there are fewer obese men—the current rate is 31 percent—that number is on the rise. For example, in 1999 only 27.5 percent of men were obese.

     Men now make up one of the fastest-growing groups of weight gainers in our society (children are another). Why are men more likely to be overweight than women? While several factors undoubtedly account for the difference, the gender gap when it comes to self-assessment may play an important role.Women are more likely than men to identify themselves as overweight, while men are more likely to remain unaware of the status of their weight.