Arya M. Sharma, MD

Just, when we thought things could not possibly get any worse, the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) on July 1 released a report, with the rather unfortunate name F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in America 2009.

According to this report, adult obesity rates increased in 23 states and did not decrease in a single state in the past year, while the percentage of obese and overweight children is now at or above 30 percent in 30 states.

Mississippi with its 32.5% rate of adult obesity, has the dubious honor of topping the list for the fifth year in a row. This brings the total number of states with obesity rates greater than 30% to four, including Mississippi, West Virginia (31.2 percent), Alabama (31.1 percent) and Tennessee (30.2 percent) - not that surprising, considering that 8 of the 10 states with the highest percentage of obese adults are in the South. Overall adult obesity rates now exceed 25 % in 31 states and exceed 20% in 49 states and Washington, D.C.

Colorado continues to have the lowest percentage of obese adults at 18.9 percent (this is not far from the Canadian average).

For the full News Release click here

For the Executive Summary of the Report (8 pages) click here

For the Full Report (108 pages) click here

Remember, the obesity epidemic is a health tsunami in slow motion!

AMS
Edmonton, Alberta

Posted by Arya M. Sharma, MD, at 5:55 AM  
Labels: epidemiology, policy

Leave a Comment