Obesity rates are on the rise

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported that the rate of obese Americans has risen nearly a percent from 2007, now reaching 26.7%. The report, titled “Vital Signs: State-Specific Obesity Prevalence Among Adults — United States, 2009″ show that the southern states made the biggest jump. In 2007, the South had three states showing an obesity rate over 30% , now nine states with those numbers. Mississippi continues to lead the country in obese rates, with a staggering 34.4% of its residents having a BMI of over 30 (the way in which obesity is measured).

“Obesity is a major public health problem,” said CDC Director, Dr. Thomas Frieden. “We need intensive and ongoing efforts to address obesity, or more people will get sick and die from the complications of obesity, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer.”

The report highlighted the most obese demographic—non-Hispanic black women at 41.9%. Also, on average, the medical cost of an obese patient over the course of one year was $1,429 higher than their non-obese counterpart. Also, the more educated a person was, the less likely they were to be an obese American.

No state in the country met the CDC’s goal of an obesity rate below 15% in 2009, but Colorado came the closest, coming in at 18.6%. Colorado’s rates have dropped likely due to the states major efforts to improve and increase the amount of walking and biking trails across the state, according to William Dietz, director of CDC’s nutrition, physical activity and obesity division. Only Colorado and the District of Columbia showed numbers below 20% in the nation.

The report readdresses the efforts of the federal government’s Let’s Move! Program, which is dedicated to curbing both adult and childhood obesity. The major themes in Let’s Move! are  empowering parents and caregivers, providing healthy food in schools improving access to healthy, affordable foods, and increasing physical activity.