6 surprising factors that increase your obesity risk
You knew overeating and inactivity can raise your odds—but the list doesn't end there.
Jan, 2026
1 of 8
Slide 1
If you are obese, it means you carry more body fat than is considered to be healthy for your height. Many healthcare providers use body mass index (BMI) to screen for obesity. Someone who is obese has a BMI of 30 or higher.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 41.9 percent of people in the United States are obese. More middle-aged (44.3 percent) and older adults (41.5 percent) are affected compared to younger adults (39.8 percent).
People who are obese have a higher risk of numerous conditions, such as:
- Diabetes
- Stroke
- Cardiovascular issues, including high cholesterol, lower levels of HDL [good] cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart disease
- Multiple types of cancer, including that of the colon, rectum, endometrium, kidney, pancreas, and gallbladder—as well as breast cancer in women who have been through menopause
In June 2013, the American Medical Association declared obesity to be a disease requiring multiple interventions for treatment and prevention. These can include behavioral modifications, medications, and possibly surgery.
You probably know that overeating and a lack of physical activity contribute to obesity—but there are other risk factors that may not be as apparent.
Written byAmy Capetta.
Medically reviewed byMegan Burke, MD.
Sources: MedlinePlus. Obesity. Last updated November 29 + 27
- MedlinePlus. Obesity. Last updated November 29, 2016.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Defining Adult Overweight & Obesity. Page last reviewed: June 3, 2022.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adult Obesity Facts. Page last reviewed: May 17, 2022.
- Cooper CB, Neufeld EV, et al. Sleep deprivation and obesity in adults: a brief narrative review. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine. 2018;4(1), e000392.
- Jackson SE, Kirschbaum C, & Steptoe A. Hair cortisol and adiposity in a population‐based sample of 2,527 men and women aged 54 to 87 years. Obesity. 2017;25(3), 539-544.
- Tomiyama AJ. Stress and obesity. Annual Reviews Psychology. 2019;70(1), 703-718.
- Harvard T.H. Chan. Television Watching and “Sit Time”. Accessed August 10, 2022.
- Cassidy S, Chau JY, et al. Low physical activity, high television viewing and poor sleep duration cluster in overweight and obese adults; a cross-sectional study of 398,984 participants from the UK Biobank. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. Volume 14, Article number: 57 (2017).
- Bahreynian M, Qorbani M, et al. Association between obesity and parental weight status in children and adolescents. Journal of Clinical Research in Pediatric Endocrinology. 2017; 9(2), 111.
- Rask-Andersen M, Karlsson T, Ek WE. Genome-wide association study of body fat distribution identifies adiposity loci and sex-specific genetic effects. Nature Communications. 2019;10(1), 1-10.
- Zou Z, Yang Z, et al. Association of high birth weight with overweight and obesity in Chinese students aged 6–18 years: a national, cross-sectional study in China. BMJ Open. 2019;9(5), e024532.
- Arisaka O, Ichikawa G, S, et al. Childhood obesity: rapid weight gain in early childhood and subsequent cardiometabolic risk. Clinical Pediatric Endocrinology. 2020;29(4), 135-142.
- Xiu L, Ekstedt M, et al. Sleep and adiposity in children from 2 to 6 years of age. Pediatrics. 2020;145(3).
- Huang J, Zhang Z, et al. Early feeding of larger volumes of formula milk is associated with greater body weight or overweight in later infancy. Nutrition Journal. 2018;17(1), 1-9.
- AARP. Are Your Friends Making You Fat? Page last reviewed: December 12, 2019.
- Christakis NA and Fowler JH. The Spread of Obesity in a Large Social Network over 32 Years. New England Journal of Medicine. N Engl J Med 2007; 357:370-379.
- Datar, A, & Nicosia N. Assessing social contagion in body mass index, overweight, and obesity using a natural experiment. JAMA Pediatrics. 2018;172(3), 239-246.
- Tumin R & Anderson SE. Television, home-cooked meals, and family meal frequency: associations with adult obesity. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2017;117(6), 937-945.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Physical Activity for a Healthy Weight. Page last reviewed: June 16, 2022.
- Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. Obesity Prevention Source: Health Risks. Accessed September 28, 2022.
- Cleveland Clinic. Is Obesity a Disease? April 21, 2022.
- van der Valk ES, Savas M, van Rossum EFC. Stress and Obesity: Are There More Susceptible Individuals? Curr Obes Rep. 2018 Jun;7(2):193-203.
- Chao AM, Jastreboff AM, Stress, cortisol, and other appetite-related hormones: Prospective prediction of 6-month changes in food cravings and weight. Obesity. April 2017. 25 (4), pages 713-720.
- Ohlendorf JM, Robinson K, Garnier-Villarreal M. The impact of maternal BMI, gestational weight gain, and breastfeeding on early childhood weight: Analysis of a statewide WIC dataset. Preventive Medicine. Volume 118, January 2019, Pages 210-215.
- Lowe WL, Scholtens DM, Lowe LP, et al. Association of Gestational Diabetes With Maternal Disorders of Glucose Metabolism and Childhood Adiposity. JAMA. 2018;320(10):1005–1016.
- Maessen SE, Ahlsson F, et al. Maternal smoking early in pregnancy is associated with increased risk of short stature and obesity in adult daughters. Scientific Reports. March 2019. Article number: 4290.
- Howland M, Hunger JM, Mann T. Friends don't let friends eat cookies: effects of restrictive eating norms on consumption among friends. Appetite. 2012 Oct;59(2):505-9.
- Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Guidelines for Americans 2nd Edition. 2018.
Recommended for you
How can I be more consistent?