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FitFeud Corporate Wellness Blog
Think America's obesity problem is plateauing? Think again.
A new report entitled, "F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future," by Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, dispels any hopes that America was finally getting a hold of its obesity problem. Obesity rates increased in 28 states, and only one, Washington, DC, where FitFeud proudly calls home, saw rates decrease.
For those keeping score at home, Colorado had the lowest adult obesity rate at 19.1%, and Mississippi had the highest at 33.8%. For what it's worth, Mississippi also had the highest childhood obesity rate at 21.9%, while Oregon's 8.9% was the lowest childhood obesity rate in the country.
The report also highlights the growing regional and racial disparities that exist within this issue.
- Adult obesity rates for Blacks topped 40 percent in nine states, 35 percent in 34 states, and 30 percent in 43 states and D.C.
- Ten of the 11 states with the highest rates of diabetes are in the South, as are the 10 states with the highest rates of hypertension.
- No state had rates of adult obesity above 35 percent for Whites. Only one state-West Virginia-had an adult obesity rate for Whites greater than 30 percent.
But there was some good news in some of the initiatives and actions that are being implemented at the federal and state level. Among others mentioned in the report:
- Twenty states and D.C. set nutritional standards for school lunches, breakfasts and snacks that are stricter than current United States Department of Agriculture requirements. Five years ago, only four states had legislation requiring stricter standards.
- The new health reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, has the potential to address the obesity epidemic through a number of prevention and wellness provisions, expand coverage to millions of uninsured Americans, and create a reliable funding stream through the creation of the Prevention and Public Health Fund;
Download the full 122-page report PDF to get all the statistical breakdowns, details for every state, as well as a list of recommendations to fight the continuing obesity problem.
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