Obesity Trends Not Appetizing

WASHINGTON—The obesity epidemic in America is not only
harming the health of millions but is also contributing to
skyrocketing health care costs. According to the sixth annual
“F as in Fat”
study from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Trust for
America’s Health, obesity trends in the United States are not
appetizing.
 
Data on obesity in the United States showed that two-thirds of
adults are overweight or obese, and nearly one-third of children
and adolescents are overweight or obese.
 
The current economic situation is likely to push those numbers even
higher as rising prices and constrained incomes make it more
difficult for families to buy healthy foods, the report said. Even
worries over the recession can trigger increased depression,
anxiety and stress, which often can lead to obesity.
 
No state saw a decrease in obesity rates and 23 states saw a rise,
including four southern states—Mississippi, Alabama, West
Virginia and Tennessee—which have adult obesity rates above
30 percent, the highest the study found. This is a dynamic change
from rates in 1991, when no state had an obesity rate above 20
percent. In 1980, the national average of obese adults was 15
percent compared with more than 33 percent today.
 
Mississippi ranks as the “fattest” state for the fifth
consecutive year with the highest rate of obese adults at 32.5
percent. Colorado is the “thinnest” state with a rate
at 18.9 percent, the only state with a rate below 20 percent.
 
The South wins again—or loses—as obesity and
obesity-related diseases such as diabetes and hypertension continue
to remain highest in that region. Eight of the 10 most obese states
are in the South.
 
The study said obesity prevention should be a priority for
government at federal, state and local levels.
 
Read the entire study here.