A growing trend

The Bad News

American women are heavier than ever, yet despite their expanding waistlines, dieting is on the decline.

According to a recent study by the Atlanta-based research firm Healthfocus and the NPD Group, a marketing information provider, 54 percent of American women over 18 are overweight, a 2 percent increase from last year's figures. And while many women may want to lose those extra pounds, only 29 percent are dieting, as opposed to the 31 percent who claim to have dieted in 1998. Granted, the statistics represent a small increase, but if the numbers remain steady, in just five years the ranks of overweight women will expand to a whopping 64 percent.

The Good News

The study, which was based on more than 2,000 surveys completed by households throughout the country, uncovered a small (and hopefully growing) population of women who have forsaken dieting for a more healthful approach to weight management. They describe themselves as being committed to a healthy lifestyle and not bouncing from one fad diet to the next. According to researchers, this group is the most rapidly increasing segment of the female population. Finally, a trend that's growing in a more positive direction.

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