The new obesity rates in America have been released, and they're not pretty

What's the story?

Obesity rates in America have reached a record high, according to research findings released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2015-2016, the prevalence of obesity averaged 39.8 percent of adults and 18.5 percent of all youth, which is up from the 2013-14 numbers of 37.7 percent and 17.2 percent, respectively.

Adult obesity rate separated by age group

• ages 40-59: 42.8%
• ages 60 and over: 41%
• ages 20-39: 35.7%

Youth separated by age group

• ages 12-19: 20.6%
• ages 6-11: 18.4%
• ages 2-5: 13.9%

The CDC's results also found that Hispanics and non-Hispanic blacks had higher rates of obesity than non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic Asians.

For a more complete breakdown, visit the CDC website here.

Why does it matter?

Obesity can cause serious health problems and is associated with diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. It has also contributed to the rising health care costs in the United States, with the medical cost of obesity estimated to be $147 billion in 2008.