“Obesity: Is it Still a Growing Problem?”
Reportedly, obesity is one of the main health problems facing Americans, with almost 100 million fat, overweight or obese. Here are the facts. The Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation suggest the problem may be worsening despite widespread publicity about the nation’s obesity epidemic. Rates of adult obesity increased in six U.S. states and fell in none last year, and in twenty states at least 30 percent of adults are obese. Researchers found that the 2013 adult obesity rate exceeds 20 percent in every state, while 42 have rates above 25 percent. For the first time two states, Mississippi and West Virginia, rose above 35 percent. The year before, 13 states were above 30 percent and 41 had rates of at least 25 percent. Obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more, where BMI is calculated by dividing weight (in kilograms) by height (in meters) squared. Overweight is defined as a BMI of 25 to 29.9. Nationally, rates of obesity remained at about one-third of the adult population, while just over two-thirds are overweight or worse. Nine of the 10 states with the highest rates of obesity are in the South.
