Last month, Men's Fitness Magazine dubbed Seattle the second-fittest city in the nation.

Yet, 54 percent of the population in King County is considered to be overweight or obese, according to the King County Web site.

This is nearly a 20 percent increase from 20 years ago, when the obesity rate was at 37 percent, said Julia Patterson, a member of the King County Board of Health.

Obesity is increasing across all age groups, said Barbara Bruemmer, a senior lecturer for UW's epidemiology department.

Generally, older adults tend to be more obese because people gain weight as they age, and that weight tends to stay on.

However, younger children are starting to gain weight and it is highly likely they won't lose that weight, possibly ensuring their obesity as adults, Bruemmer said.

The tendency for gained weight to stay on is something that UW students need to worry about.

"Any time you go through a time period when you're gaining weight, you should be worried about your future," said Bruemmer.

Examples of this weight gain are the "Freshman 15" and extra pounds gained during the holiday season.

Holiday weight gain averages one pound throughout the winter season, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

However, this weight isn't typically lost during following the year.

"We see trends in holiday weight gain," Bruemmer said. "Year after year there's a small increase in weight."

The biggest factor in the increase of obesity is that calorie consumption has risen and exercise levels are down, Patterson said.

Twenty-five percent of adults and teens get a moderate amount of exercise on a regular basis.

Moderate exercise is measured as walking three miles per hour, and should burn between 3.5 and 7 calories per minute, according to medicinenet.com, an online healthcare publishing company.

It is suggested adults engage in moderate activity for 30 minutes, 5 or more days per week.

Healthy eating has also become less common.

Eating out more often, the fact that less expensive food is high in fat and sugar, and increasing portion sizes all contribute to this problem, Patterson said.

"Only about a quarter of adults eat the number of servings of vegetables a day that they need," Patterson said.

As of now, one of UW's best defenses against obesity is the IMA.

The IMA offers fitness classes and body fat testing to all students for a small fee along with workout facilities that are free for every UW student.

Another opportunity to promote healthy lifestyles is found in the Experimental College, which offers various fitness classes as well as a course in healthy eating.

Even with these facilities and opportunities readily available, obesity continues to increase.

Obesity is a problem that affects the entire nation; the percentage of overweight and obese adults in the United States has climbed to 65 percent in recent years, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

Seattle isn't excluded from the problem, as obesity rates have increased from 37 percent to 54 percent in the last twenty years.

UW should also not disregard the problem of obesity, Bruemmer said.

"UW is an excellent place to get an education, an excellent place to work and should be a place that promotes a healthy environment," she said.

Reach contributing writer Shauna Nuckles at development@thedaily.washington.edu.