If you live in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, West Virginia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kentucky and Arkansas, odds are good that at least one of every three of your fellow residents is obese.
That’s the word from “F as in fat: How obesity threatens America’s future 2010,” the latest report from the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation.
The study found that obesity increased in a total of 28 states. Only the residents of the District of Columbia showed a decline in obesity rates, according to the study.
“Obesity is one of the biggest public health challenges the country has ever faced, and troubling disparities exist based on race, ethnicity, region, and income,” said Jeffrey Levi, PhD, executive director of TFAH. “This report shows that the country has taken bold steps to address the obesity crisis in recent years, but the nation’s response has yet to fully match the magnitude of the problem. Millions of Americans still face barriers – like the high cost of healthy foods and lack of access to safe places to be physically active – that make healthy choices challenging.”
The top 10 states and the percentage of obese adults in their populations include:
1. Mississippi (33.8)
2. Alabama, Tennessee (31.6)
4. West Virginia (31.3)
5. Louisiana (31.2)
6. Oklahoma (30.6)
7. Kentucky (30.5)
8. Arkansas (30.1)
9. South Carolina (29.9)
10. Michigan, North Carolina (29.4)
The report also disclosed significant disparities between obesity rates for white adults and those for black and hispanic adults. Those and other highlights of the report include:
* Adult obesity rates for Blacks topped 40 percent in nine states, 35 percent in 34 states, and 30 percent in 43 states and D.C.
* Rates of adult obesity for Latinos were above 35 percent in two states (North Dakota and Tennessee) and at 30 percent and above in 19 states.
* Ten of the 11 states with the highest rates of diabetes are in the South, as are the 10 states with the highest rates of hypertension.
* No state had rates of adult obesity above 35 percent for Whites. Only one state—West Virginia—had an adult obesity rate for Whites greater than 30 percent.
* The number of states where adult obesity rates exceed 30 percent doubled in the past year, from four to eight –Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia.
* Northeastern and Western states had the lowest adult obesity rates; Colorado remained the lowest at 19.1 percent.
These figures highlight the importance of programs like the “Let’s Move” initiative launched earlier this year by First Lady Michelle Obama.
You can read the full report here. For more information on Let’s Move, go here.
