California’s obesity rate climbed slightly past year, although its ranking is vastly better compared to most states, according to a report released Monday.
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Dr. Ed Ehlinger, the state’s Health Commissioner, shares that they have been looking at long-term goals and because of this, their rate have began to decline since 2008, stabilizing from then on.
However, it is encouraging to see that only a few states show increased obesity rates, which could mean signs of progress. “We do know a lot about what works, now we just have to invest in these approaches”.
In a state-by-state analysis, Arkansas, West Virginia and Mississippi were states with the highest adult obesity rates. However, given the continued high rates, it isn’t time to celebrate.
Why? The answer is complex.
Kentucky, with a 31.6 percent obesity rate, made the list at No. 12.
More attention and funding have gone to preventing obesity over the past decade, said Rodney Lyn, an obesity expert and an associate dean in the School of Public Health at Georgia State University.
For example, students pushed for healthier lunches in Texas and spoke against sugary drinks in California. He also says families need more access to affordable healthy foods.
Adults with a “body mass index” of 25 to 29.9 are considered overweight, while individuals with a BMI of 30 or more are considered obese, according to the report.
These results were collected through a telephone survey, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Systems (BRFSS) conducted in 2014 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 1980, no state had an obesity rate above 15%.
Meanwhile, Colorado has the lowest rate, at 21.3 percent.
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“If we fail to change the course of the nation’s obesity epidemic, the current generation of young people may be the first in American history to live shorter, less healthy lives than their parents”, the authors write in the report. In 1991, no state had an obesity rate above 20%. Forty-seven percent of blacks, 42.5 percent of Latinos and 32.6 percent of whites are obese. “How can we create those opportunities all across the state?”
