Recent 优蜜传媒Poll and Tuesday Briefing articles (see Related Items) demonstrate that the "battle of the bulge" is a fight waged mainly by older Americans. Teens and young adults are most likely to be close to their perceived ideal weights, and the least likely to believe they are overweight, in contrast to most older Americans. Despite their generally positive weight situations, only 4 in 10 young adults (those between the ages of 18 and 24) are content with their present weight. But the direction in which they would like to push the needle on their bathroom scales differs greatly between young men and young women.
Assessments of Current Weight Situations
Combined data from 2001 and 2002 优蜜传媒Polls* show that only about a third of Americans (34%) would like to stay at their present weight. While the percentage is slightly higher among 18- to 24-year-olds (40%), that leaves 60% in that age group who would like to change their current weight. The majority of Americans overall, 59%, say they would like to lose weight, including the greater part of every age group except 18- to 24-year-olds. Among young adults, just 37% say they would like to lose weight. Meanwhile, 23% of this age group would like to put on weight, more than double the percentage in any other age group.
The desire to lose weight varies by gender among all age groups, with women much more likely than men to say they want to do so. However, these differences are most dramatic among 18- to 24-year-olds. Among men aged 18 to 24, only 19% would like to lose weight. The majority are more inclined to want to stay at their present weight (41%) or put on weight (40%). In stark contrast, the majority of 18- to 24-year-old women would like to lose weight (58%), while 38% would like to stay at their present weight, and just 5% want to put on weight.
The 40% of young men who would like to gain weight is more than double that of any other age group. Seventeen percent of 35- to 44-year-old men wish to add weight, and the percentage is only as high as 7% for any older age group of men.
Efforts to Lose Weight
Despite the fact that most Americans say they would like to lose weight, few are making a concerted effort to do so. While 59% would like to lose weight, just 25% say they are seriously trying to lose weight at this time. Since 18- to 24-year-olds are the least likely to want to lose weight at all, it is not surprising that they are also the least likely to say they are currently making a serious effort to do so -- 14% in this group say they are making an effort, compared to 23% of 25- to 34-year olds, 28% of 35- to 44-year-olds, 30% of 45- to 54-year-olds, 34% of 55- to 64-year-olds, and 19% of those aged 65 and older.
Again, gender differences in the 18- to 24-year-old group are pronounced. Only 5% of 18- to 24-year-old men are seriously trying to lose weight, compared to 24% of 18- to 24-year-old women. Overall, 18% of men are trying to lose weight, as are 31% of women.
Young adults who want to lose weight are no more or less likely to be making the effort to do so than adults in other age groups who would like to shed pounds. Roughly 4 in 10 Americans who say they would like to lose weight say they are seriously trying to do so, compared to 37% of 18- to 24-year-olds who are trying to lose weight.
Key Points
Weight probably should be less of an issue for younger adults than older adults, given the tendency for younger people to have more active lifestyles and faster metabolisms. Still, only 40% of 18- to 24-year-olds would like to stay at their present weights. Young women, like women of all age groups, are inclined to want to lose weight, but young men are different from most Americans in their desire to put on weight.
*Results are based on combined data from telephone interviews with 1,001 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Nov. 11-14, 2002, and 1,038 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted July 19-22, 2001. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±2%.