Why do some states have more obese people that others?

Some of the regional differences in the obesity rate may relate to popular foods that are frequently eaten by people in different areas like corn dogs and frito pie here in Texas. But, activity also plays a part in the obesity rate. A recent study by the Center for Disease Control showed that obesity in different areas correlates with the activity level.

These states recorded the least physical activity: Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Tennessee.

States that reported the highest levels of physical activity were California, Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.

Four of the five least-active counties in the USA are in Kentucky, report the researchers, and four of the five most active are in Colorado — including Boulder County, known for its outdoor sports culture and bike-friendly communities.

Source:USA Today 2/17/11

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

New Stats on Obesity

The obesity rate worldwide has roughly doubled in the past three decades, hitting 9.8 percent for men and 13.8 percent for women in 2008, an international team of researchers reports online February 3 in the Lancet.

Pacific Island nations collectively recorded the highest average weight. Among high-income countries, the United States ranked heaviest, followed by New Zealand.
Japan and Singapore weigh the least. Bangladesh women weighed least among their gender, as did men in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Among European females, Swiss women were the thinnest. —Nathan Seppa

Source: Science News, February 3, 2011