Updated: September 2024

Author: Physical Activity & Nutrition Program, Vermont Department of Health

In June 2023, the American Medical Association drafted a policy clarifying the role of BMI as a measurement tool. The AMA called BMI an imperfect way to measure body fat in multiple groups given that it does not account for differences across race, ethnicities, sex, gender and age-span. The AMA recognized the historical harm of the BMI as a measure due to its prior use for racist exclusion and because BMI is based primarily on data collected from previous generations of non-Hispanic white populations. The AMA suggests that BMI should be used with other valid measures.

The Vermont Department of Health Division of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention has reviewed research on obesity and the harms of weight bias. We have made efforts to remove references to weight from our website and resources. Our colleagues in the Division of Health Statistics and Informatics have drafted a statement about the limitations of the BMI measure which is provided below.

We continue to collect weight data but are de-emphasizing the reporting of this data. However, due to the scorecard measure, we are providing the following information:

In 2022, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data showed that 27% of Vermont adults age 20 and older are obese. This is a slight decrease from 2021, when the prevalence was 30%, however the difference is not statistically significant. The Vermont rate is statistically lower than the United States rate of 34%.

Obesity has been connected to many chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes and many forms of cancer. 

The presence of obesity is one of many health measures that should be considered for individual health. Others include blood pressure, A1C and cholesterol. All these measures should be reviewed by the medical provider to determine risk of chronic disease.

Social determinants of health impact people’s health including their weight. Nutrition security, transportation to grocery stores and medical provider offices, income, language access and other conditions can have a negative impact, thus making them vulnerable to many chronic diseases.   

• 3-4-50 partners: The organizations listed on this page have signed on to help change the three modifiable behaviors that lead to chronic disease, including obesity.

• Office of Local Health District Offices, Vermont Department of Health: The Offices of Local Health work in communities to prevent obesity and other health concerns.

• Division of Family & Child Health, Vermont Department of Health: Maternal and Child Health programs such as WIC promote obesity prevention.

• Division of Economic Services Three Squares program, Vermont Department of Children & Families

•  SNAP-Ed, a program for people eligible for SNAP/Three Squares provides nutrition education throughout Vermont. These programs include:

• • Vermont Food Bank’s Veggie Van Go

  • Come Alive Outside: physical activity within the community

  • UVM Extension which provides cooking classes and other supports for immigrants and others.

  • Vermont Garden Network: Vegetable gardens for people who live in affordable housing neighborhoods and housing for older people

  • People’s Farmstand

• American Heart Association: Promotes healthy eating and physical activity to prevent heart disease.

• Amercian Cancer Society: Promotes healthy eating and physical activity to prevent cancer.

There are several evidence-based strategies that can be used to improve health including those that change the environment or policies to make the healthy choice the easy choice. These include Electronic Balance Transfer (EBT) for farmers markets and other food access programs that help people access more fruits and vegetables, healthy community design, and worksite wellness programs. 

Three health behaviors: poor diet, lack of physical activity and tobacco use; lead to four chronic diseases: heart disease, lung disease, some cancers and diabetes; which cause over 50% of deaths in Vermont. 3-4-50 is a framework that helps shine a light on preventable chronic disease to both start a conversation about how to encourage Vermonters to make healthier choices and provide concrete, no/low-cost strategies for partners to implement. We are working with communities, schools, worksites and childcare programs, providing tips on working with people in their organization or under their care to help them with healthy choices. These organizations can also “sign on” to 3-4-50, by making a commitment to continue this work. Examples include municipalities committing to healthy community design plans, and worksites, schools and childcare programs developing policies to support healthy eating and physical activity during the work and school day.

Obesity is defined using Body Mass Index (BMI) which is calculated from self-reported height and weight. BMI is a relatively inefficient measurement of true health-related weight risk as it was not designed for use in all populations. It therefore potentially misclassifies some individuals as at risk (obese) when they may not be if more objective metrics of excess body fat were used. Therefore, the rates presented here may overestimate the true rate of obesity among Vermont adults.

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) data is collected annually and is updated as it becomes available (timing may vary).

This indicator is age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population. In U.S. data, age adjustment is used for comparison of regions with varying age breakdowns. For more detailed information on age adjustment read the CDC's Statistical Notes.

These data are limited to adults 20 years of age and older as those younger than 20 are generally not yet fully developed and tend to have more weight variability than older adults and are therefore excluded from this measure, following the guidelines of Healthy People 2020.

Due to BRFSS weighting methodology changes beginning in 2011, comparisons between data collected in 2011 and later and that from 2010 and earlier should be made with caution. Differences between data from 2011 forward and earlier years may be due to methodological changes, rather than changes in opinion or behavior.

For more information on the BRFSS survey, visit the Vermont Department of Health's BRFSS page.