The obesity rate among Minnesota adults has exceeded 30% for the first time and seems to be approaching the national rate, a worrying sign for public health officials who have been battling Minnesota's weight problem for more than ten years.

State Commissioner for Health, Jan Malcolm, cited a number of culprits but said that consumption of sugary sodas remains a problem, as well as the growing concern of sedentary youth stuck in computers and Cellphones.

"Sugary drinks are the biggest source of added sugars in the American diet, and the added calories of sugary drinks are strongly associated with weight gain and obesity," said Malcolm.

She also cited research showing that young adults aged 15 to 18 spend more than seven and a half hours per day in front of a screen.

"It's time they are no longer active," she said.

Obesity is considered a serious public health problem as it is linked to chronic and costly diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer.

The obesity rate in Minnesota fell from 28.4% in 2017 to 30.1% in 2018, which is equivalent to South Dakota, which for years had adult obesity rates well above those in the United States. Minnesota. By comparison, the national rate rose from 30.1% in 2017 to 30.9% in 2018, according to survey data released Thursday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rates in Wisconsin and Iowa were over 35%.

Rates on the rise

Obesity is defined as a body mass index greater than 30, which is a relative measure of weight versus height. Thirty is approximately the BMI of a man 5 feet 10 inches and weighing 209 pounds.

Health officials in Minnesota began to sound the alarm about obesity in 2001, the last year in which the adult rate in that state was less than 20%. This number changed only gradually over the following years, with less than 26% from 2007 to 2013.

Public health officials hoped that this meant that the state benefited from aggressive prevention efforts, including taxpayer investments in local welfare programs and infrastructure through the Statewide Health Improvement Partnership. , or SHIP, launched in 2011. Communities across the state have used hiking trail grants, farmers' markets and other strategies to help people make healthy food choices and get some exercise done.

Although the change from 2017 to 2018 is modest, it represents a third consecutive increase, and state leaders are taking it seriously, said Kristine Igo, director of health improvement efforts at the Ministry of Health's Ministry of Health. Minnesota. The increase does not suggest a failure of the state's SHIP program, which the CDC described as an effective strategy to promote better health, she said. Instead, it highlights research showing how broader societal issues such as poverty, housing quality and security play a role.

"It shows how difficult it is to bend the curve of obesity rates," Igo said.

Sports drinks, coffee drinks

For the first time since 2013, Minnesota added questions about sweet drink consumption to the CDC's annual Adult Behavior Survey and found little change. In the past and now, only 42% refrained from consuming sodas daily. Last year, more than 15% of Minnesota respondents reported drinking one or more per day. The data showed a strong correlation between this level of consumption and obesity.

In addition, the issue of soft drinks did not take into account the consumption of sport drinks and high-calorie specialty coffees, which contributes to the problem, added Ann Zukoski, Evaluator for the Improvement Initiative Program. of state health.

Racial disparities in obesity rates persisted, but it was not clear whether obesity gains in one of the groups had resulted in an increase in the overall rate of death. State, she said. Indian adults in America had the highest adult obesity rate in the state, at 42.2% last year. The rate for Hispanic adults was over 34%.

The state is using a new CDC grant to focus on breastfeeding, which has proven that it can reduce childhood obesity and improve options for breastfeeding. exercise and diet in preschool institutions.

Igo said many of the obesity prevention initiatives take time to bear fruit, including those aimed at young people, which should allow the next generation of adults to be in better shape. health.

"We developed a preference for taste in our early years," she said. "Science demonstrates that."