Obesity in the National Football League

To the Editor: Obesity is associated with increased morbidity and mortality.¹ The 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Evaluation Survey (NHANES) determined that 31% of US adult men and women were obese, a doubling of obesity prevalence since NHANES II (1976-1980).² Reports have indicated, although not fully documented, a trend toward larger players in the National Football League (NFL).³ We investigated whether, despite their status as professional athletes, a large proportion of NFL players would be classified as obese. We also compared the prevalence of obesity in the NFL with that of US males of a similar age sampled from the general population.