When it comes to your belly, the state you’re in might have something to do with the state you’re in.Living in the South or the Midwest might be increasing your risk of weight gain. That’s where the states with the highest obesity rates—including Arkansas, West Virginia, North Dakota and Indiana—are located, according to a new report by the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation and Trust for America’s Health. And those aren’t just trivial numbers: when the Rate of obesity in your state increases,
your own personal risk may increase as well. Recent research at Harvard has shown that your social circle—the folks you interact with on a daily basis—can dramatically impact your own health and fitness. In fact, just having a close friend who becomes Obese raises your own risk by 57 percent. (Having a sibling or spouse who’s obese also increases your risk, but to a lesser degree.) In other words, when the folks around you get fat, your own belly starts to expand, too.
Twenty-two states now have obesity rates that top 30 percent, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey. And while much of the country is holding steady, obesity rates are growing in five states: Ohio, Minnesota, Kansas, New Mexico and Utah. The editors at Eat This, Not That! magazine took a deeper look at the numbers. Here’s where your state ranked, and what you need to know.
- Arkansas [35.9% Obese]
The 29th largest state is unfortunately the #1 biggest. According to the study: “Arkansas’s adult obesity rate is currently 35.9 percent, up from 21.9 percent in 2000 and from 17.0 percent in 1995.” Digging deeper into the stats, Eat This, Not That! sees a whopping 20% of kids aged 10 to 17 are obese in Arkansas, as are 41.7% of adults aged 45-64.
- West Virginia [35.7% Obese]
Last year, West Virginia was #1, tied with Mississippi. But don’t think missing the top slot is a victory. Twenty-five years ago, the obesity rate in West Virginia was just 13.7 percent. And West Virginia has the highest rate of diabetes in the entire country, at 14.1 percent.
- Mississippi [35.5% Obese]
Down two slots to #3—after tying for first last year—Mississippi is still one of the three states to earn the dubious honor have having an obesity rate over 35%. And says the report: “Mississippi had the highest reported percentage of inactivity among adults at 31.6 percent.”
- Louisiana [34.9% Obese]
The sad news here is not only the high ranking, but how much worse it’s expected to get. The state had 69,400 cases of obesity-related cancer in 2010—with a projected 170,092 in 2030. And hypertension rates are expected to soar to 1.1 million by 2030, which would mean ¼ of the current population.
- Alabama [33.5% Obese]
Alabama’s obesity rate has been climbing since the 1990s, and you can tell by the adult hypertension rate—40.3%! That’s second in the nation, after West Virginia.
- Oklahoma [33.0% Obese]
The Sooner state might improve its ranking sooner than others, thanks to local health initiatives, including a grant announced in August to bring more doctors into rural areas, and an award from the Obama administration providing funding for health centers, which can advocate for healthier eating.
Overall, obesity in the U.S. has increased from 26.2 percent in 2012 to 27.1 percent in 2013; the obesity rate was 25.5 percent in 2008.The most obese states also had the highest rates of chronic disease. The report showed that an average of 35.8 percent of Americans who live in the 10 most obese states have high blood pressure and 28.2 percent of Americans who live in the 10 most obese states have high cholesterol.
The depression rate is 20.7 percent, the diabetes rate is 14.3 percent, the cancer rate is 7.8 percent and heart attack rate is 5 percent among residents in these 10 states, as well.
