Yesterday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data stating that Mississippi was the number state for obesity. A whopping 34.9% of adults are obese or 20% over a proper and healthy weight. The state with the least amount of obese adults was Colorado who claims 20.7% of its population as obese. Obesity has been on the rise for years and there seems to be no end in sight.
States with the Most Obese Adults
Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and West Virginia.
States with the Lease Obese Adults
Colorado, Hawaii and Massachusetts
According to the CDC:
By state, obesity prevalence ranged from 20.7% in Colorado to 34.9% in Mississippi in 2011. No state had a prevalence of obesity less than 20%. 39 states had a prevalence of 25% or more; 12 of these states had a prevalence of 30% or more: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and West Virginia.
The South had the highest prevalence of obesity (29.5%), followed by the Midwest (29.0%), the Northeast (25.3%) and the West (24.3%).
Fat Facts
Heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, are all related to obesity and can be prevented if one maintains a healthy body weight.
African Americans have the largest number of obese adults in America.
Women who earn a higher income or living in a higher income bracket are less likely to be obese than women who earn a low income or live in a low income bracket.
Men (African American and Hispanic) who earn a higher income weigh more than men who do not.
There is no relation between education and obesity with respect to men. However, it has been found that women who hold college degrees are less likely to be obese than women who do not.