Obesity Increased in 28 States (Report)

The Trust for American Health recently released a report on obesity showing an increase over the last year in 28 states, with a decline only in the District of Columbia.

“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. Ten of the eleven most obese states are located in the South. The state with highest rate of obesity is Mississippi. Mississippi has been in the number one position for six years in a row. The state with lowest adult obesity rate is Colorado with 19.1 percent. The number of states with high adult obesity rates (30% or more) increased from four to eight. More than two thirds of all states have adult obesity rates over 25 percent. No state had an adult obesity rate above 20 percent in 1991.

Child obesity is also mentioned in the report. The total number of children and adolescents who are obese referenced in the document is 12 million or more. Oregon has the lowest rate of childhood and adolescent obesity at 9.6 percent. Mississippi has the highest at 21.9. The age range for those statistics is 10-17. One third of that population segment is obese. Utah has the lowest rate of children exercising vigorously once a day, at 17.6%. North Carolina had the largest percentage in that category at 38.5%.

While these numbers are troubling to consider, the impact of obesity on millions of people is even more so. According to the report one in three adult Americans has some form of heart disease, and 80 million have type 2 diabetes or are pre-diabetic. It was also reported that 12 states showed an increase in the number of adults saying they engage in no physical activity.

So why did obesity increase in so many states? The report identifies the relationship between income and education levels with increased obesity. The less income and education an American has, the more likely it is they will be obese, says the report. Other factors include regional cultural issues, exercise levels, and family of origin issues. Clearly the overall picture is very complex and the contributing factors require more research, and discussion.

It is noted that a variety of government programs at the federal and state levels have been put into place. However, the effectiveness of those efforts is still being debated.

Image Credit: Tobyotter

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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Patricia H.

2:02AM PDT on Apr 3, 2012

Good Info

send a green star

Dee D.

3:02PM PST on Feb 8, 2012

This is startling news.

Elsa O.

2:58PM PST on Feb 8, 2012

OMG!!!

KS G.

6:23PM PDT on Sep 2, 2011

Thanks for the article.

John S.

3:43AM PDT on May 12, 2011

I like simple solutions, maybe it's portion control?

Mari '.

7:34AM PST on Jan 2, 2011

They are killing all of us. This is a huge problem for also climate change/global warming. Nothing but time removes methane and we have people in the millions eating millions of animals. Very scary

Past Member .

9:27AM PDT on Oct 27, 2010

Please note this recent post to understand the challenge "Chefs in Schools" are facing.
http://www.care2.com/news/member/733554032/2581008

Scott N.

1:07PM PDT on Jul 20, 2010

There have been a lot of comments with very good points but I think we make it way more complicated than it needs to be. We aren't going to turn back time and start growing our own veg and raising our own cows and chickens. We aren't going to stop big industry mass producing foods, or legislate our way to a thin population. I agree that there are many good and many bad things about all these options.

I really believe the bottom line is eat the same as you burn. To lose weight eat less than you burn. It doesn't matter if you exercise 4 hours a day or lay as still as possible all day long. If you exercise a lot then you will need to eat more than someone who doesn't exercise at all. I really don't think it matters what you eat when it comes to a healthy weight.

Most of us grew up a few generations after the great depression. During that time food was hard to come by. As a result the depression generation taught their children to eat everything on their plate and held to this even when food was readily available. I know I was taught to clean my plate because there were "starving kids" in china. Tie that with the massive availability of food and portion sizes in the western world and you get a population of people that have never known what hungry really is.

Bottom line. Learn what hungry is and don't eat until your hungry. I lost over 60 pouds with this simple concept.
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Lika S.

11:12PM PDT on Jul 19, 2010

Also look at the fact that we have much more processed foods these days, along with jobs that don't work you as physically. When my great grandparents worked their farm, they didn't have half the modern conveniences. They also lived off the land.

Today, we have lunchables, processed meats, canned fruits and veggies, none of which compare to the nutrition of fresh foods. And the younger the generation, the less we're able to cook. I am shocked at how many time's I've asked for a recipe, and get told open a can of this, a packet of that...

Then they come to my house, and think my food is better than the restaurants, and I have to wonder, does anyone actually know how to cook anymore?

Kay O.

1:12PM PDT on Jul 18, 2010

This picture breaks my heart.