Washington – As with a lot of people, the nation’s weight problem is settling below its waistline. The states with the highest percentages of obese adults are mostly in the South: Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia, Louisiana and Tennessee.
In the entire nation, only Oregon isn’t getting fatter.
In the 2002-04 period, 22.7 percent of U.S. adults were obese, up slightly from 22 percent for 2001-03, says the advocacy group Trust for America’s Health, citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Alabama had the biggest increase. There, the obesity rate increased 1.5 percentage points to 27.7 percent.
Eight states came in under 20 percent: Colorado, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, Montana, Utah and New Hampshire. Just over 20 percent of Wyoming residents were obese, up about half a percentage point from the previous three-year period.
Oregon held steady at 21 percent. Hawaii was not included in the group’s report Tuesday.
While certain regions of the country fared worse than others, particularly the Southeast, the organization said that no state met the federal government’s goal of a 15 percent obesity rate for adults by 2010.
An adult with a body mass index of 30 or more is considered obese. The equation used to figure body mass index is body weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. The measurement is not a good indicator of obesity for muscular people who exercise a lot.
“Bulging waistlines are growing and it’s going to cost taxpayers more dollars regardless of where you live,” said Shelley Hearne, the organization’s executive director.
Why the geographic patterns? Experts don’t have any one clear answer. Some suggest that urban sprawl plays a role. Others say it’s easier to find a burger and fries than apples and asparagus in poor communities.
Dr. Delia West, a professor of public health at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, said demographics play a part. The South has a larger percentage of minorities, who have shown an increased risk for obesity. She said Southerners also tend to lead a more sedentary lifestyle than counterparts in states such as Colorado or Oregon, she said.
