The physical health of adults in the U.S. has significantly deteriorated since the COVID-19 pandemic, with obesity and diabetes rates at or nearing record highs, a new Gallup report shows.
The report, released Dec. 14, is based on survey responses from 5,316 U.S. adults collected between Aug. 30 and Sept. 8.
Four findings:
1. An estimated 38.4% of adults have obesity, up 6 percentage points since 2019. This figure is down slightly from a record high of 39.9% last year.
2. A record 13.6% of adults report having diabetes, up 1.1 percentage points from 2019.
3. Nearly 47% of adults reported eating healthy the day prior, down from 51.7% in 2019. Adults ages 30 to 44 reported the sharpest drop in health eating habits (9.2 percentage points).
4. Despite worse eating habits, adults' exercise levels remained stable.
View the full report here.