Obesity rates now reach 35% in 7 states

Americans continue to grow, with obesity rate top of 35% in seven states, reveals a new report.

This goes back to five states two years ago. In addition, no state has seen a noticeable improvement in its obesity rate compared to the previous year, according to the report from the Trust for America's Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, two non-profit organizations specializing in health policy.

"Obesity is a complex and often intractable problem, and the obesity epidemic in the United States continues to have serious health and cost implications for individuals, their families, and our nation, "he said. said John Auerbach, president of Trust for America's Health.

"The good news is that there is growing evidence that some prevention programs can reverse these trends." But national and national obesity rates will not significantly decrease her organization's press release.

States with obesity rates of 35% or more now include Iowa and Oklahoma. The others are Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and West Virginia.

Results are based on data from 2017 US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They represent a troubling trend, as in 2012, no state had an obesity rate of 35% or more.

According to the report "State of Obesity", in at least one in five adults is obese.

The economic toll of obesity is monumental, the authors said. An estimated $ 149 billion is spent annually on directly related health expenditures. The decline in economic productivity costs an additional $ 66 billion each year.

John Wiesman, Washington State Secretary of Health, said: "Obesity is a major challenge in almost all states and our role as public health leaders is to do everything we can to fix it. "

The impact of obesity is more severe in communities where access to healthy food and regular physical activity is limited. These are generally low-income rural areas, including many communities of color.

West Virginia dominates the wall of obesity from shame. More than 38% of adults have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or more Colorado has the lowest adult obesity rate in the country, with only 22.6%.

Overall, 22 states had adult obesity rates of between 30% and 35%, while obesity was a health problem for at least a quarter of adult residents in 19 states. , says the report.

Data from the US National Health and Nutrition Study indicate that white obesity rates are around 38%, compared to around 47% for Blacks and Hispanics.

The report provided recommendations to government decision-makers, the food and beverage industries, and the health system.

Among them: States should require at least 60 minutes of physical education or physical activity during each school day. Medicare should promote and cover obesity counseling. In addition, hospitals should stop selling or serving Sugary drinks.