Fewer overweight Americans have been trying to lose weight in recent years, a new study found, and researchers wonder if "fat acceptance" could be among the reasons.
The trend over nearly two decades could also reflect people giving up after repeated failed dieting attempts. It happened as U.S. obesity rates climbed, reported The Associated Press.
Researchers at Georgia Southern University analyzed U.S. government health surveys from 1988 through 2014. More than 27,000 adults aged 20 to 59 were involved.
In the early surveys, about half the adults were overweight or obese. Those numbers climbed to 65 percent by 2014. But the portion of overweight or obese adults who said they were trying to slim down fell from 55 percent to 49 percent.
The results were published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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