Obesity increased significantly among young people during the 1990s, according to survey results reported in the September/October issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion.

The ultimate result may be higher future rates of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and lung disease as this generation ages, according to Stanford University researchers.

The findings are based on phone surveys of 120,000 black, Hispanic and white women and men in 1990 and 2000 that were conducted by state health departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Although obesity increased among every ethnic group, Stanford researchers Marilyn Winkleby and Catherine Cubbin found that this increase was alarmingly high in young people, particularly young black women.

Almost 20 percent of black women were obese by ages 18 to 24, increasing to over 35 percent by ages 25 to 44. Contributing to obesity in all groups, between one-third and one-half of those surveyed ate fewer than three servings of fruit and vegetables a day.

The researchers suggested reducing the fat content in school lunches, changing policies about fast food sales and portion sizes, upping activity in physical education classes and opening gyms for young people.

Other sources: Center for the Advancement of Health