print

Obesity rates increase nationwide in 2006
mongabay.com
August 27, 2007





31 states saw a rise in obesity rates last year, reports a new study by the Trust for America's Health, a research group that focuses on disease prevention.

OBESITY TRENDS* AMONG U.S. ADULTS 1991 and 2004-2006 Combined Data (*BMI >30, or about 30 lbs overweight for 5' 4" person)

Mississippi became the first state to have more than 30 percent of the adult population classified as obese, while two-thirds of American adults are either overweight or obese.

Colorado was the leanest state this year, though its adult obesity rate increased over the past year (from 16.9 to 17.6 percent).

Rates of adult obesity now exceed 25 percent in 19 states, an increase from 14 states last year and 9 in 2005. In 1991, none of the states exceeded 20 percent.

The report also finds that rates of overweight children (ages 10 to 17) ranged from a high of 22.8 percent in Washington, D.C. to a low of 8.5 percent in Utah. Eight of the ten states with the highest rates of overweight children were in the South.

No states saw a decrease in obesity rates.

Obesity is a major factor in the onset of Type II diabetes, rates of which have been increasing rapidly in the United States.

Report: F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America, 2007

National obesity rankings

State	Adult % obese 2004-2006	rank	Adult % overweight 2004-2006	rank	Adult % diabetes 2004-2006	rank	Age 10-17 % overweight 2003-2004	rank
Alabama	29.4%	3	64.7%	4	9.3%	5	16.7%	11
Alaska	25.8%	16	63.7%	9	4.8%	50	11.1%	44
Arizona	21.7%	43	57.3%	45	7.6%	21	12.2%	38
Arkansas	27.0%	8	63.7%	8	7.8%	18	16.4%	12
California	22.7%	36	59.9%	34	7.4%	26	13.2%	32
Colorado	17.6%	51	54.2%	51	4.8%	51	9.9%	49
Connecticut	20.1%	47	57.7%	44	6.3%	42	12.3%	37
D.C.	22.2%	40	55.0%	49	7.8%	16	22.8%	1
Delaware	23.6%	29	62.2%	20	7.9%	15	14.8%	19
Florida	22.9%	34	60.0%	33	8.4%	10	14.4%	21
Georgia	26.1%	14	61.4%	24	8.3%	11	16.4%	13
Hawaii	20.1%	47	54.5%	50	7.8%	20	13.3%	31
Idaho	23.2%	31	59.8%	36	6.6%	39	10.1%	48
Illinois	24.4%	25	60.7%	29	7.4%	23	15.8%	14
Indiana	26.8%	9	62.5%	18	8.0%	14	15.6%	16
Iowa	24.9%	20	62.1%	21	6.8%	36	12.5%	35
Kansas	24.3%	27	61.3%	26	6.9%	34	14.0%	24
Kentucky	27.5%	7	64.9%	3	8.8%	8	20.6%	3
Louisiana	28.2%	4	63.4%	10	8.9%	7	17.2%	9
Maine	23.0%	33	60.1%	32	7.3%	28	12.7%	34
Maryland	24.4%	25	60.1%	31	7.4%	25	13.3%	30
Massachusetts	19.8%	50	55.3%	48	6.1%	45	13.6%	27
Michigan	26.8%	9	62.7%	16	8.3%	12	14.5%	20
Minnesota	23.7%	28	61.3%	25	5.5%	48	10.1%	47
Mississippi	30.6%	1	66.5%	1	10.1%	2	17.8%	8
Missouri	26.3%	12	62.8%	15	7.5%	22	15.6%	15
Montana	20.7%	45	58.0%	43	6.0%	46	11.1%	45
Nebraska	25.4%	18	63.0%	12	7.0%	32	11.9%	41
Nevada	22.5%	37	60.8%	28	7.0%	31	12.4%	36
New Hampshire	22.4%	38	59.5%	39	6.8%	35	12.9%	33
New Jersey	22.2%	40	59.6%	37	7.3%	27	13.7%	26
New Mexico	22.0%	42	59.3%	40	7.1%	29	16.8%	10
New York	22.4%	38	58.6%	42	7.8%	19	15.3%	18
North Carolina	25.6%	17	62.3%	19	8.7%	9	19.3%	5
North Dakota	25.1%	19	63.8%	6	6.4%	41	12.1%	39
Ohio	26.0%	15	62.5%	17	7.4%	24	14.2%	22
Oklahoma	26.8%	9	62.9%	14	9.0%	6	15.4%	17
Oregon	23.3%	30	59.8%	35	6.7%	37	14.1%	23
Pennsylvania	24.5%	23	61.4%	23	8.2%	13	13.3%	29
Rhode Island	20.5%	46	58.8%	41	7.0%	33	11.9%	42
South Carolina	27.8%	5	63.7%	7	9.4%	4	18.9%	7
South Dakota	24.9%	20	62.9%	13	6.5%	40	12.1%	40
Tennessee	27.8%	5	63.9%	5	9.4%	3	20.0%	4
Texas	26.3%	12	63.1%	11	7.8%	17	19.1%	6
Utah	21.1%	44	55.8%	46	5.4%	49	8.5%	51
Vermont	20.0%	49	55.4%	47	5.8%	47	11.3%	43
Virginia	24.5%	23	61.0%	27	7.1%	30	13.8%	25
Washington	23.2%	31	59.5%	38	6.6%	38	10.8%	46
West Virginia	29.8%	2	65.5%	2	11.1%	1	20.9%	2
Wisconsin	24.8%	22	61.8%	22	6.2%	44	13.5%	28
Wyoming	22.8%	35	60.2%	30	6.3%	43	8.7%	50

---

Comments?



News options