Resolutions concerning health, exercise, or diet are on the top of Americans' list for what they want to change in 2025, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Goals related to finances or relationships are also popular among the 1,251 adults who were polled between December 5 to 9. The survey used a sample drawn from NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The overall margin of sampling error is +/- 3.7 percentage points.
Why It Matters
The poll, which was published on Saturday, comes as obesity rates continue to pose a significant health problem in the United States, contributing to high rates of heart disease and diabetes. By 2035, 1.5 billion adults worldwide are projected to have obesity.
For years, American obesity rates have been skyrocketing. However, that changed last year when the rate shifted downward for the first time in more than a decade. Nationally, obesity was down from 46 percent in 2022 to 45.6 percent in 2023.
Across a sample of nearly 17 million adults in a new JAMA Health Forum study, mean population body mass index grew from 2013 to 2021. However, in 2022 obesity rates plateaued before decreasing slightly in 2023.
Of note, weight loss drugs like Ozempic have played a role in this shift. The semaglutide-based drugs have especially high prescription rates in the South, which was a substantial factor in the overall national decline.
What To Know
Every New Year sparks the perennial debate about resolutions.
According to the new poll, more than half of Americans say they'll make at least one resolution for 2025, with millennials and Generation Z showing particular enthusiasm—approximately two-thirds plan to set a resolution, compared to about half of older adults. Additionally, women are more likely than men to say they will set a goal for 2025.
Approximately 3 in 10 adults opt for resolutions related to exercise or healthier eating. Around one-quarter plan to set resolutions focused on losing weight, while a similar number intend to make changes regarding financial priorities or mental health.
What People Are Saying
Carla Woods, 70, a mental health counselor from Vinton, Iowa, to the AP: "Probably one of my biggest resolutions is trying to make sure I stay social, try to get out at least once a week—get out and either have coffee or do something with a friend. That's not only for the physical but also for the mental health part."
Andres J. Acosta, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor and consultant in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., in an opinion article for Newsweek:"With an influx of new weight-loss drugs poised to enter the market, the trial-and-error process (for obesity treatments) will likely intensify. Patients will face an overwhelming list of choices—and bear the burden of figuring out what works for their bodies. While more treatments may seem like progress, it risks turning obesity care into an endless experiment."
Ohio GOP U.S. Representative Brad Wenstrup and Wisconsin Democratic U.S. Representative Gwen Moore in an opinion article for Newsweek on Congress' role in address America's obesity crisis: "There is now a consensus in the medical community that obesity is a complex and chronic disease that can be caused by many factors. This new understanding of obesity means we must change how it is treated, especially when we have new tools to treat it. This starts by expanding access to treatments such as intensive behavioral therapy (IBT), comprehensive nutritional and mental health treatment and new, highly effective, anti-obesity medications."
What's Next
What's commonly referred to as the obesity epidemic in the U.S. is likely to get worse in the coming years, according to the researchers behind a September U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) study, who expect the number of obese and overweight people in the nation to rise to nearly 260 million people by 2050 without significant intervention.
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