Latest Research on Our Nation's Health: Poor Diet and Lack of Physical Activity Have Significant Impact

Yesterday findings from the first major analysis of the health status of the U.S. population in more than 15 years was released by a global collaborative of scientists led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, The research found that while Americans are showing progress in reducing death rates (adjusted for age, across a variety of diseases), our poor diet and inadequate physical activity are dramatically impacting our nation’s health. Additionally, death rates from illnesses associated with obesity, such as diabetes and kidney disease, as well as neurological conditions like Alzheimer's disease, are on the rise.

“If the US can make progress with dietary risk factors, physical activity, and obesity, it will see massive reductions in death and disability,” said Dr. Ali Mokdad, head of the US County Health Performance team for IHME and former director of the Behavior Risk Factors and Surveillance Survey at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Unhealthy diets and a lack of physical activity in the US cause more health loss than alcohol or drug use.”

The findings were presented by Dr. Christopher Murray, IHME Director and one of the lead authors on the study at an event for mayors and other local officials hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama as part of the Let’s Move! Cities, Towns, and Counties anniversary convening.

In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on July 10 – “The State of US Health, 1990-2010: Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors” – researchers show the impact of premature deaths in children and young adults, the significant toll of disabling conditions, and the overall burden on health systems from a range of fatal and non-fatal health factors. It includes estimates for death and disability from 291 diseases, conditions, and injuries as well as 67 risk factors.

To explore the trends for the United States in depth, go to our Global Burden of Disease visualization page and search for the US in any of our tools: www.ihmeuw.org/GBDCountryViz.