Fewer young adults are smoking, but more people are obese, shows US survey

The prevalence of smoking among US adults is holding steady, at about 20%, while the obesity rate has risen despite the fact that more people say they are physically active, a new report has found.

The report was based on data collected from 76 669 household interviews conducted as part of an ongoing survey by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.1

The report, the fifth in a series, focused on five aspects related to health behavior: alcohol use, cigarette smoking, physical activity during leisure time, body mass index, and sleep. These have been targeted by the Healthy People 2020 initiative, a 10 year project launched in 2010 to improve the health of US citizens.

The …