[Vision2020] States With the Highest Obesity Rates

[Kenneth Marcy]

*States With the Highest Obesity Rates


http://tinyurl.com/mw9opxf*


*33. Idaho*
*> Adult obesity rate:* 28.6%
*> Adults overweight and obese:* 65.2% (22nd lowest)
*> Adults who do not exercise:* 21.2% (6th lowest)
*> Premature (before 75) deaths per 100K:* 310 (17th lowest)


According to multiple studies, obesity — and even being overweight — can 
shave years off the average lifespan — up to 14 years in extreme obesity 
cases. Despite the known dangers, including many associated diseases, 
the U.S. obesity rate has doubled since the early 1960s, and today 
obesity is the second leading cause of premature death in the country. 
Most Americans today are at least overweight.

Obesity is highly prevalent throughout the country — at least one in 
five Americans are obese in every state. However, some areas of the 
country have much higher rates of obesity than others.

24/7 Wall St. reviewed the adult obesity rate in every state. Southern 
states tend to have higher obesity rates and account for nine of the 10 
states with the highest obesity rates. Louisiana tops the list with the 
highest obesity rate — some 36.2% of adult residents are considered 
obese. By contrast, 20.2% of adults in Colorado are obese, the lowest 
rate of any state.

*Click here to see the states with the highest obesity rates. 
<http://247wallst.com/special-report/2017/05/12/states-with-the-highest-obesity-rates/2/>*

While diet and exercise are the most important aspects of maintaining a 
healthy weight, other factors can also contribute to higher obesity 
rates. For example, states with the highest rates of obesity tend to 
have low incomes and high poverty rates. Residents who earn low incomes 
may not be able to afford a healthy diet, and they may have limited 
access to healthy foods as well as exercise opportunities.

For an individual on a tight budget, only the cheapest foods may be an 
option, yet many of the cheapest foods available are calorie-dense and 
nutritionally poor. A healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables costs 
about $46 more per month than a less healthy diet.

It can also be difficult to maintain exercise habits in many of the 
states with high obesity rates. The percentages of adults who report no 
exercise during their leisure time are higher in these areas, likely due 
in part to lower access to exercise venues.

In Mississippi, the state with the third highest obesity rate, only 
57.5% of residents live close to a place to exercise. On the other hand, 
in Colorado, the least obese state, 91.3% of the population lives within 
a 5-10 minute commute to a gym or park. Further, because Mississippi’s 
poverty rate is nearly double Colorado’s, even residents near a gym may 
not be able to afford a membership.

To identify the states with the highest rates of obesity, 24/7 Wall St. 
reviewed the 2015 adult obesity rate in every state with data from the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor 
Surveillance System. Obesity is defined as having a body mass index over 
30. The share of overweight — a BMI between 25-30 — adults, and the 
physical inactivity rate also came from the CDC. Premature death rates 
per 100,000 residents came from County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, a 
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population 
Health Institute joint program.

These are the states with the highest obesity rates.


*http://tinyurl.com/mw9opxf
*

*
*

*
*

*Ken*

*
*



---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/attachments/20170513/cf31e69b/attachment.html>