In three states-Arkansas, Mississippi, and West Virginia-the obesity rate exceeded 35 percent.
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Massachusetts was the fourth thinnest state in 2014, but black and Hispanic residents on average had much higher obesity rates, according to the latest numbers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The federal agency released maps on Monday that illustrate the rate of adult obesity state-by-state.
Seven out of the ten states that have the highest obesity rates are in the South. Twenty-three of the top 25 states are in the South and Midwest.
“We need to avoid thinking of obesity as a simple matter of “eat less, exercise more” and consider the social and economic issues that make that hard for people”, Gupta said. In 1991, no state had an obesity rate above 20%. In 1980, no state had an obesity rate above 15%.
Of those Kansans sharing their height and weight, 31.3 percent were obese, according to their body mass index compared with 30.2 percent of Missourians. They include high blood pressure, certain cancers, heart disease, diabetes and stroke. About one third-78 million-of all Americans are obese.
These are some of the results from this year’s State of Obesity study, a report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Trust For America’s Health that details weight information across the country.
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The CDC estimates that 10 percent of the national healthcare budget is spent on obesity-related health problems.
