Mississippi Tops State Obesity Rankings
But even Colorado at the bottom of the list had a rate above 20 percent.
| Posted Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012, at 11:49 AM
Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images.
A new study suggests that even in Colorado, the least-obese state in the nation, more than 1 in 5 people are carrying a potentially dangerous excess of fat.
In all, a dozen states have an obesity rate of 30 percent or more, based on data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And of the 30 states with the highest rates, 26 were in the South or Midwest, with Mississippi topping the list at 34.9 percent.
The state-by-state data is apparently a preview for a planned annual report called "F as in Fat," which will outline the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's obesity-fighting policy recommendations in more detail. Researchers behind the study point out that obesity-related medical costs are about 10 percent of total medical spending a year, at $147 billion annually.
You can read the full study here.
