America is getting fatter

When I lived in Arkansas many years ago, Arkansans had a saying: “Thank God for Mississippi.” For as long as I remember, Arkansas has been near the bottom in terms of education, poverty rates and just about every other economic measure. But Mississippi has always been just a little bit lower on the economic totem pole, which gave at least a little comfort to the folks in Arkansas.

Now, there are reasons for everybody to say “Thank God for Mississippi.” But it’s not a laughing matter. According to a recent story by Reuters, Mississippi has the highest adult obesity rate in America at 34.9 percent. Think about that. More than one in three people in Mississippi are classified as obese. It’s a good bet that diabetes rates are on the rise as well.

According to the story, Mississippi heads 12 states with adult obesity rates of more than 30 percent, trailed by Louisiana and West Virginia, according to the report by the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Twenty-six of the 30 states with the highest obesity rates are in the Midwest and South, it said. Colorado had the lowest obesity rate at 20.7 percent, ahead of Hawaii and Massachusetts.

For Idaho, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that the Gem State does not crack the top 10 of states with the highest adult obesity rates. The bad news is that Idaho is not in the bottom 10, either – which puts Idaho’s rate somewhere between 20 and 30 percent.

The takeaway message here is that America is getting fatter, and there are some long term implications from that trend. Reuters quoted Jeffrey Levy, executive director of Trust for America Health. But the quotation could come from just about any doctor, or health expert.

"Obesity has contributed to a stunning rise in chronic disease rates and health care costs. It is one of the biggest health crises the country has ever faced," Levy said.

According to Reuters, the analysis was based on state obesity figures provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Obesity is measured using the body mass index (BMI), a number calculated from a person's weight and height. Obesity is defined as a BMI greater than or equal to 30.

The top 10 states for obesity and their BMI percentages:

1. Mississippi 34.9
2. Louisiana 33.4
3. West Virginia 32.4
4. Alabama 32.0
5. Michigan 31.3
6. Oklahoma 31.1
7. Arkansas 30.9
8. Indiana (tie) 30.8
8. South Carolina 30.8
10. Kentucky (tie) 30.4
10. Texas 30.4

The bottom 10 states for obesity and their BMI percentages:

1. Colorado 20.7
2. Hawaii 21.8
3. Massachusetts 22.7
4. New Jersey (tie) 23.7
4. District of Columbia 23.7
5. California 23.8
6. Utah 24.4
7. New York (tie) 24.5
7. Connecticut 24.5
7. Nevada 24.5