As Americans get bigger, so does their need to have furniture to accommodate their hefty size.

With more than a third of adults in the United States considered obese, a number of companies have zeroed in on this target market.

A recent study by Mississippi State University researchers analyzed the bariatric market for the furniture industry. Bariatric is a branch of medicine that deals with the causes, prevention and treatment of obesity.

The study showed that there continues to be a need for design, strength and testing performance standards of bariatric furniture.

“It is likely that the bariatric market could expand as quickly as the nation’s waistlines,” the study, sponsored by the Franklin Furniture Institute, stated.

Furniture manufacturer Redcats USA recently launched its Plus-Size Living Collection line that includes a “King Kong” chair built to accommodate people up to 800 pounds.

Since then, the company has received “overwhelming positive feedback” about the oversized furniture, said Pat Cross, the company’s vice president of corporate public relations and communications.

A Cleveland, Tenn., recliner manufacturer has charted new territory with a motorized chair that literally takes people from a sitting to standing position. The company launched the chair in 1983, but since then, demand for it has grown quickly.

“Did we have a 450-pound rated chair two years ago?” said Don Hunter, senior vice president of major accounts at Catnapper. “No, 350 pounds was satisfactory. We kept getting requests for a beefed-up mechanism and width to accommodate heavier people.”

But the market for the lift recliners extends beyond those who are larger, Mr. Hunter said. They are also aimed at the growing number of seniors who like them because of ambulatory issues.

“Some people are obese because of lifestyle habits while others, who may have suffered a stroke, etc., become obese as a result of their illness or accident,” Mr. Hunter said. “You are going to be heavy if you sit all day because you’re unable to exercise. You tend to gain weight, and if that’s the case, we have a chair that will work for you.”

Pixie Houts, who is a design consultant at E.F. Brannon on Hixson Pike, said her retail furniture business has found that a recliner it sells for people weighing around 350 pounds has been popular. The chair, she said, is reinforced with steel to handle the added weight.

Dick Fowler, owner of The Furniture Shoppe and The Patio Shop in Chattanooga, said his business has a product made by Stickley that is called a “chair and a half” and looks like a mini sofa.

“Stickley furniture is made to last, so the chair is built to accommodate people of all sizes,” he said. “It’s built to handle the weight and width.”

Mr. Hunter summed up Catnapper’s goal: “We want people to be comfortable no matter their size.”

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