OT: which state has the highest obesity rate?

States Failing to Fight Rising Obesity Rates Alabama Has Highest Obesity Rate, Colorado Lowest By Todd Zwillich Reviewed By Michael Smith, MD on Wednesday, October 20, 2004 WebMD Medical News Oct. 20, 2004 -- The nation's antiobesity policies lack coordination and are failing to curb the rising obesity rates, claims a report issued Wednesday by a nonprofit public health group. The report accuses the federal government of not having an organized effort to attack rising overweight and obesity rates, which now affects more than 60% of Americans. It also blames states for failing to follow up on nutrition and activity programs that are intended to fight the $139 billion-per-year epidemic. "Simply asking and chastising people to eat less and exercise more is not the way to solve this problem," says Shelley Hearne, executive director of Trust for America's Health, which issued the report. The group praises Arkansas for becoming the first state to require body mass index (BMI) measurements for all students as part of an effort to accurately gauge obesity rates. BMI is a measure of weight in relation to height and is an indicator of body fat. But the report says that 40% of states do not collect any reliable data on obesity rates in children and that few enforce widespread physical activities in schools. Only four states: California, Hawaii, Texas, and West Virginia, have nutritional standards for snack bar and vending machine foods widely sold in schools, according to the report. The rest are as follows: ( percent of obese people followed by state rank.. they go in order) State Percent of Obese Adults Rank Alabama 28.4 1 Mississippi 28.1 2 West Virginia 27.7 3 Indiana 26.0 4 Kentucky 25.6 5 Arkansas 25.2 6 Georgia 25.2 Michigan 25.2 Tennessee 25.0 9 Ohio 24.9 10 Louisiana 24.8 11 Texas 24.6 12 South Carolina 24.5 13 Oklahoma 24.4 14 North Carolina 24.0 15 Delaware 24.0 Iowa 23.9 17 Nebraska 23.9 Pennsylvania 23.8 19 North Dakota 23.7 20 Missouri 23.6 21 Alaska 23.5 22 California 23.2 23 Illinois 23.2 Minnesota 23.0 25 South Dakota 22.9 26 Kansas 22.6 27 Maryland 21.9 28 Idaho 21.8 29 Virginia 21.7 30 Washington 21.7 Oregon 21.5 32 Nevada 21.2 33 New York 20.9 34 Wisconsin 20.9 Utah 20.8 36 District of Columbia 20.3 37 New Hampshire 20.2 38 New Mexico 20.2 Arizona 20.1 40 New Jersey 20.1 Wyoming 20.1 Florida 19.9 43 Maine 19.9 Vermont 19.6 45 Connecticut 19.0 46 Montana 18.8 47 Rhode Island 18.4 48 Massachusetts 16.8 49 Hawaii 16.4 50 Colorado 16.0 51 Total average 22.8 Forty-one states have adult obesity rates topping 20%, though federal health goals aim to drop the obesity rate to 15% by 2010. Alabama remains the heaviest state with 28.4% of adults obese, while Colorado is the lightest with 16%. Diabetes, a major complication of obesity, affects more than 6% of adults in 40 states, the report says. The group recommends that federal authorities step up their scrutiny of states and compel them to report childhood obesity trends and provide better information on whether health programs are working. Federal and some state health officials have responded to the rising obesity rates. Some states have moved to limit kids' access to unhealthy foods in schools, while others recently formed commissions on obesity, nutrition, and physical activity. The federal government has begun funding ad campaigns urging Americans to eat right and exercise, and Medicare announced in July that it would for the first time consider designating obesity an illness, possibly paying for some treatments. Congress has also begun considering moves to tighten nutritional and exercise standards in schools. Georges Benjamin, MD, executive director of the American Public Health Association, calls the efforts "fragmented" and says that governments are not focusing on obesity prevention. "We're dealing with things on the back end instead of dealing with things on the front end," he says. CDC Should Take Over The report calls for a new national study to accurately determine obesity rates and causes of childhood obesity, noting that the last nationwide youth health survey was conducted two decades ago. Hearne says that the nation's response should be consolidated inside an obesity "command and control center" at the CDC and that the agency take control of national nutrition recommendations known popularly as the Food Guide Pyramid. The pyramid is issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which Hearne says is responsible for promoting food manufacturers and grocery producers. "The USDA does have a perceived conflict of interest here," she says. CDC should also form a rapid response team that quickly dispatch to communities to help them find locally tailored causes and cures for rising obesity rates, the report recommends. A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson could not be reached for comment by press time.