“Our obesity rate in 1990 was close to 11 percent, and now it is one of every four adults”. Arkansas had the highest adult obesity rate at 35.9%, while Colorado had the lowest at 21.3%.
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The report, released Monday, shows that 23.3 percent of Bay State residents self-reported as obese past year .
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.
Obesity is becoming far more common that in the past.
However, the obesity rate is not uniform.
“Although obesity is a national problem, numerous policies and interventions that would be most valuable in reducing obesity occur at the community or neighborhood level”, said Bill Wheaton, director of RTI’s Geospatial Science and Technology Program. They include high blood pressure, certain cancers, heart disease, diabetes and stroke.
The Midwest had the highest prevalence of obesity – 30.7 percent – with the South just under that region with 30.6 of its residents self-reporting as obese.
Nationwide, 29 million Americans live in food deserts, or areas where limited access to fresh produce can make healthy eating a challenge.
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The report from the Trust for America’s Health ranks New Hampshire as the 15th best in the nation and Maine as 19th best. Annually, the USA spends $147 billion on obesity-related issues.
