Obesity and Body Fat Distribution Stroke, along with hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes mellitus, is associated with being overweight or obese. The prevalence of obesity in the United States has tripled for chil- dren and doubled for adults since 1980.262 Only in the last 3 years has a leveling off been seen.263 265 Increasing public awareness and government initiatives have placed this public health issue in the forefront. According to the National Center for Health Statistics data from the Department of Health and Human Services, in 2009 and 2010, the prevalence of obesity was 35.7% among adults and 16.9% among children, with a higher prevalence in adults >60 years of age and adolescents.263 265 Among the race/eth- nic groups surveyed in the United States, age-adjusted rates of obesity indicate the highest rates in non-Hispanic blacks (49.5%), followed by Mexican Americans (40.45%) and then all Hispanics (39.1%), with the lowest rate being among non- Hispanic whites (34.3%).263 265 A patient s body mass index (BMI), defined as weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters, is used to distinguish overweight (BMI, 25 to 29 kg/m2 ) from obesity ) and morbid obesity (BMI >40 kg/m2 Men presenting with a waist circumference of >102 cm (40 in) and women with a waist circumference >88 cm (35 in) are catego- rized as having abdominal obesity.267 Abdominal obesity can also be measured as the waist-to-hip ratio. 