Obesity rates continue to increase across America, with almost one-third of Americans now living with a body mass index (BMI) of over 30. The Southern part of the U.S. is weighing in with the highest obesity rates, with Mississippi taking top honors, and Oklahoma, Alabama and Tennessee seeing rapidly rising numbers.
The annual “F as in Fat" report from the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation paints a bleak picture on the expanding girth across our great land. Over the past 15 years, seven states have doubled their rate of obesity and 10 states have doubled their rate of diabetes.
In the last year alone, 16 states had an increase in obesity and only one—Colorado—had an obesity rate below 20 percent…barely. In 2006, Colorado showed a 16.9 percent rate, so even America’s healthiest state is losing the battle.
"Today, the state with the lowest adult obesity rate would have had the highest rate in 1995," said Jeff Levi, executive director of the Trust for America's Health. In 1980, only 15 percent of the entire U.S. population was obese.
Not one state showed a decline in the last year, either remaining steady or loosening that belt one more notch.
Much of the report agrees with one recently conducted by Dr. Earl S. Ford and colleagues from the CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. In that study, the researchers looked at data on nearly 23,000 people aged 20 and older from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 1999-2008. In 1999-2000, the researchers found, 27 percent of men were obese. By 2007-2008, that percentage had risen to 32 percent. The number of obese women inched up from 33 percent to 35 percent over the same time period.
As American’s waistlines continue to grow, so does concern for higher health care costs. With the continued growth in obesity and health problems associated with the condition, the U.S. could be facing even greater issues than once expected with our health care system. Currently, the U.S. spends billions of dollars each year on obesity-related health issues, such as cancer, heart disease, stroke and type II diabetes and these costs continue to rise. Work-related losses and premature death push the costs even higher.
The annual “F as in Fat" report from the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation paints a bleak picture on the expanding girth across our great land. Over the past 15 years, seven states have doubled their rate of obesity and 10 states have doubled their rate of diabetes.
In the last year alone, 16 states had an increase in obesity and only one—Colorado—had an obesity rate below 20 percent…barely. In 2006, Colorado showed a 16.9 percent rate, so even America’s healthiest state is losing the battle.
"Today, the state with the lowest adult obesity rate would have had the highest rate in 1995," said Jeff Levi, executive director of the Trust for America's Health. In 1980, only 15 percent of the entire U.S. population was obese.
Not one state showed a decline in the last year, either remaining steady or loosening that belt one more notch.
Much of the report agrees with one recently conducted by Dr. Earl S. Ford and colleagues from the CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. In that study, the researchers looked at data on nearly 23,000 people aged 20 and older from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 1999-2008. In 1999-2000, the researchers found, 27 percent of men were obese. By 2007-2008, that percentage had risen to 32 percent. The number of obese women inched up from 33 percent to 35 percent over the same time period.
As American’s waistlines continue to grow, so does concern for higher health care costs. With the continued growth in obesity and health problems associated with the condition, the U.S. could be facing even greater issues than once expected with our health care system. Currently, the U.S. spends billions of dollars each year on obesity-related health issues, such as cancer, heart disease, stroke and type II diabetes and these costs continue to rise. Work-related losses and premature death push the costs even higher.
