US Population Isn’t Just Fat – It’s Obese

Based on data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a significant proportion of the U.S. population is not just overweight, but obese.

[See latest mapping of obesity in the United States].

From the report:

“Obesity prevalence ranged from 20.7% in Colorado to 34.9% in Mississippi in 2011. No state had a prevalence of obesity less than 20%. 39 states had a prevalence of 25% or more; 12 of these states had a prevalence of 30% or more: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and West Virginia.”

Wired’s Maryn MCkenna claims the CDC information is based on data gathered by a CDC project known as BRFSS for the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

“The BRFSS is a massive, continuous telephone survey of adults in U.S. states and territories, and every year it releases information on a vast array of public health issues: smoking, heart disease, arthritis, asthma, immunization coverage, cancers, and diet.”

MCkenna says that along with the current year’s data, the CDC released a look-back at past years’ reports on obesity in the United States, and the images are striking.

“They are also, as of this year, out of date, because the agency has changed some methodology — so 2011 and forward can’t be compared with any past years.”

Top Ten Obese States in the US by %

Mississippi 34.9
Louisiana 33.4
West Virginia 32.4
Alabama 32
Michigan 31.3
Oklahoma 31.1
Arkansas 30.9
Indiana 30.8
South Carolina 30.8
Kentucky 30.4

Top Ten Least Obese States by %

Connecticut 24.5
Nevada 24.5
New York 24.5
Utah 24.4
California 23.8
District of Columbia 23.7
New Jersey 23.7
Massachusetts 22.7
Hawaii 21.8
Colorado 20.7