Are there some states with a higher rate of obesity than others?

There appears to be a higher percentage of obesity in the southern and midwestern United States. The biggest percentages of fat adults — those 21 and older — live in the South (28.4%) and Midwest (28.2%), compared with 24% in both the Northeast and the West.

Overall, non-Hispanic black women and Hispanics have the highest rates of obesity — 41.9% and 30.7%, respectively. Among states, Mississippi had the highest rate, 34%. Joining it in the over-30 crowd were Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia.

Only Colorado and the District of Columbia had adult obesity rates lower than 20%. CDC official William Dietz attributed Colorado's relative thinness to its mountain altitudes — which require more exertion — and its "culture of physical activity." D.C. is "more of a mystery," he said. "It may have to do with the city's higher rates of breast feeding and consumption of fruits and vegetables."

Source: USA Today 8/3/10