Which states are the most obese?

Obesity is one of the greatest health risks America's population faces today, according to the United Health Foundation's 25th annual America's Health Rankings. Our nation spends an estimated $147 billion to $210 billion on obesity and obesity-related health issues every year.

The rate of obesity has nearly tripled since 1990 and this year rates continued to rise. After a slight decline in 2013, the obesity rate spiked up 7 percent to 29.4 percent of adults in 2014, according to the report. Similarly, physical inactivity also increased.

"It is inevitable that increases in the rates of obesity and physical inactivity will result in more people suffering from significant chronic diseases that compromise the quality of their lives, adversely affect their families and are unaffordable for the nation," Reed Tuckson, MD, senior medical adviser to United Health Foundation, said in a statement.

Obesity rates are not standard across the population. College graduates tend to be less obese than their less educated peers: their obesity rate is two-thirds that of Americans with less education. However, at a rate of 34.2 percent, the most obese group of Americans is middle aged adults from 45 to 64 years old.

Obesity rates also vary greatly state to state. The following states are ranked from least to most obese, based on self-reported data from the CDC's 2013 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System report:

  1. Colorado — 21.3 percent of the population is obese, with a BMI of 30.0 or higher
  2. Hawaii — 21.8 percent
  3. Massachusetts — 23.6 percent
  4. California — 24.1 percent
  5. Utah — 24.1 percent
  6. Montana — 24.6 percent
  7. Vermont — 24.7 percent
  8. Connecticut — 24.9 percent
  9. New York — 25.4 percent
  10. Minnesota — 25.5 percent
  11. Nevada — 26.2 percent
  12. New Jersey — 26.3 percent
  13. Florida —26.4 percent
  14. New Mexico — 26.4 percent
  15. Oregon — 26.5 percent
  16. New Hampshire — 26.7 percent
  17. Arizona — 26.8 percent
  18. Virginia — 27.2 percent
  19. Washington — 27.2 percent
  20. Rhode Island — 27.3 percent
  21. Wyoming — 27.8 percent
  22. Maryland — 28.3 percent
  23. Alaska — 28.4 percent
  24. Maine — 28.9 percent
  25. Illinois — 29.4 percent
  26. North Carolina — 29.4 percent
  27. Idaho — 29.6 percent
  28. Nebraska — 29.6 percent
  29. Wisconsin — 29.8 percent
  30. South Dakota — 29.9 percent
  31. Kansas — 30.0 percent
  32. Pennsylvania — 30.0 percent
  33. Georgia — 30.3 percent
  34. Missouri — 30.4 percent
  35. Ohio — 30.4 percent
  36. Texas — 30.9 percent
  37. Delaware — 31.0 percent
  38. North Dakota — 31.0 percent
  39. Iowa — 31.3 percent
  40. Michigan — 31.5 percent
  41. South Carolina — 31.7 percent
  42. Indiana — 31.8 percent
  43. Alabama — 32.4 percent
  44. Oklahoma — 32.5 percent
  45. Louisiana — 33.1 percent
  46. Kentucky — 33.2 percent
  47. Tennessee — 33.7 percent
  48. Arkansas — 34.6 percent
  49. Tie between Mississippi and West Virginia — 35.1 percent

(District of Columbia — 22.8 percent)

The CDC provides community-based increased for hospitals, workplaces, schools, child care programs and neighborhoods to help fight obesity.

 

More articles on population health:

Enhanced patient engagement: The key to population health management?

CDC: 2014's top 10 challenging public health threats

The healthiest & unhealthiest states in America: Where does your state rank?

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