No Letup in US Obesity Epidemic

Good ol' American stick-to-it-iveness.

A new report illustrates in stark terms how the obesity epidemic in the US has spiraled in the past two decades and pinpoints, on a state-by-state basis, where the largest increases have occurred. The authors stress, however, that ranking the states in this way is not a reproof; rather, "we want to raise awareness, drive action, identify solutions, and reverse the epidemic."

"F as in fat: How obesity threatens American's future 2011," a report from the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), shows that the problem is greatest in the South, which has nine of the 10 states with the highest adult obesity rates. Mississippi holds the dubious title of state with the highest adult obesity rate, for the seventh year in a row, and obesity has grown fastest in Alabama, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.

For the first time, the report looks at how obesity levels have altered over the past 20 years; two decades ago, no state had an obesity rate above 15%, whereas now, 12 states have rates above 30% (even just four years ago, only one state had a rate above 30%). Two out of three states have obesity rates over 25%; just one, Colorado, has a rate lower than 20%.

E Pluribus Adipum.