Obesity rates keep rising; older adults included

In the US, national public health goals outlined in Healthy People 2010 include a target of reducing the proportion of adults who are obese to 15%. One of the reasons for preventing obesity is the cost: In 2008 dollars, medical costs associated with obesity were estimated at US $147 billion. People who are obese had medical costs that were $1,429 higher than those of normal weight, according to background in a new analysis of data.