Expand / Collapse search
Watch TV
Menu

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

Obesity

These are the 10 most obese states in the US, report finds

By Madeline Farber Fox News
Published
close
States with the highest obesity populations get put on notice Video

States with the highest obesity populations get put on notice

A new study from ConsumerProtect.com shows which states rank the highest and lowest when it comes to adult obesity.

Is your state one of the most obese in the nation?

Consumer Protect recently analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to determine the most unhealthy states in the U.S. According to the organization, West Virginia — followed closely behind by Mississippi and Oklahoma — is the most obese in the U.S, with roughly 38 percent of adults in the state struggling with obesity as of 2017.

By contrast, Colorado was determined by Consumer Protect to be the least obese state in the nation, with roughly 22.6 percent of adults in the state being obese as of the same year.

US PRESCHOOLERS GETTING LESS OBESE, STUDY FINDS

America has long dealt with the issue of obesity. The condition affected 93.3 million adults in the country from 2015 to 2016, per the CDC.

“In 1990, obese adults made up less than 15 percent of the population in most U.S. states. By 2010, 36 states had obesity rates of 25 percent or higher, and 12 of those had obesity rates of 30 percent or higher,” according to Harvard University’s School of Public Health.

“While U.S. obesity rates have, overall, stayed steady since 2003, the rates are still rising in some groups, and disparities persist: Non-Hispanic black, Hispanic, and Mexican American adults have higher rates of obesity than non-Hispanic white adults,” the school added.

Mississippi (37.3 percent) and Oklahoma (36.5 percent) claimed the No. 2 and No. 3 spots on Consumer Protect's list in terms of percentage of obese adults in the area.

IS THE TV IN YOUR BEDROOM CAUSING YOU TO GAIN WEIGHT?

Consumer Protect also looked at states where adults engaged “in zero physical leisure activity," which they dubbed the “Couch Potato Index.”

Kentucky was No. 1, with 34.4 percent of adults in the state engaging in zero physical activity. Mississippi and Arkansas followed behind with 33.2 percent and 32.5 percent, respectively.

There are many obesity-related health conditions, namely heart disease, type 2 diabetes, some types of cancer and stroke, among other health ailments, according to the CDC.

Here's a look at the 10 most obese states in the U.S. and the percentage of obese adults living in that location, per Consumer Protect.

  1. West Virginia (38.1 percent)
  2. Mississippi (37.3 percent)
  3. Oklahoma (36.5 percent)
  4. Iowa (36.4 percent)
  5. Alabama (36.3 percent)
  6. Louisiana (36.2 percent)
  7. Arkansas (35 percent)
  8. Kentucky (34.3 percent)
  9. Alaska (34.2 percent)
  10. South Carolina (34.1 percent)

To see where your state falls in terms of obesity, click here.