Fattest States | 07/02/2009 9:20 am

America's Getting Fatter: Mississippi, Southern States Among Nation's Worst Offenders

Study shows a whopping two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese, and obesity rates for children are at or above 30 percent in 30 states.

By The Staff at wowOwow.com

When it comes to trimming the fat, Americans across the country are doing a really poor job.

A new study out today shows that Americans — pretty much everywhere — are getting fatter. Adult obesity rates increased in 23 states and didn’t decrease in a single state last year! And it’s not just adults who are losing the battle of the bulge. The percentage of obese and overweight children is at or above 30 percent in 30 states. That’s not good news for the future, since studies show that obese kids more than likely will turn out to be obese adults. This is yet another good reason to teach your kids good eating habits now, and to encourage exercise!

Mississippi leads the way for obese adults and kids. A whopping 44.4 percent of Mississippi kids ages 10 through 17 are technically overweight or obese, according to rankings by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Trust for America’s Health. The other fattest states and their obesity percentages include: West Virginia, 31.2 percent; Alabama, 31.1 percent; Tennessee, 30.2 percent; and South Carolina 29.7 percent. Southern states take the cake — literally — for obesity rates. Colorado, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Hawaii had the lowest obesity rates. Here’s another number to consider: in 49 states, 1 in 5 people are obese. Two-thirds of Americans are now either overweight or obese.

Not only is this bad for our own personal health, and not only does it lead to higher cases of diabetes and other health-related problems, but it doesn’t bode well for the nation’s health-care system, either.

"Our health-care costs have grown along with our waistlines,” said Jeff Levi, Ph.D., executive director of Trust for America’s Health. "The obesity epidemic is a big contributor to the skyrocketing health-care costs in the United States. How are we going to compete with the rest of the world if our economy and workforce are weighed down by bad health?"

Click here for an interactive, state-by-state map of obesity rates.

76 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

I remember you mentioning the road trip in a few of your posts. What a treat to be able to spend that time with your mother!

I am so glad that you know how important you are to your grandchildren… That unconditional love and bond that exists between a grandparent and grandchild is so important. Knowing that my grandparents thought I was ‘perfect’ in whatever I chose to do (she says with a smile) gave me such confidence!

Have a great 4th of July! I think I’ll fry up some chicken in Gram’s memory and take it to my Mom’s in San Diego for our picnic…!

By Lisa B on 07/02/2009 4:24 pm

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Love among women is somewhere where words aren’t enough. A grandmother, a mother, a daughter, a son, grandchildren, nieces and nephews….we have a common bond. My love is always unconditional. I hope you fry that chicken, Lisa!

By deber B on 07/02/2009 7:23 pm

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Lisa….yummy….what time is dinner??? I will bring the wine!!! :-)

By Libra Lady on 07/02/2009 4:36 pm

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You don’t need to bring the wine, I have a nice bottle of Rombauer Chardonnay chilled and ready to go - unless we end up needing (wanting?) two bottles… It would be fun, wouldn’t it? I imagine we would not run out of things to talk about!

By Lisa B on 07/02/2009 8:54 pm

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Deber b,

Every Saturday night my grandfather got the axe from the chicken coop and……Grandma would spend the evening plucking feathers. Grandma made her own home-made noodles, too. She had the largest cutting board I’ve ever seen. No kidding, about 36X48 inches. EVERYTHING was fresh. She even canned her own fruit and vegetables came straight out of the backyard.

But let’s not forget that today’s kids do not "go out and play" like we did after school.

By Andrea Brandon on 07/02/2009 9:50 pm

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Of course, education can make a big difference!! So can awareness. In the few restaurants where the number of calories is displayed on the menu some customers made better food choices. Once upon a time, there were Health classes in schools where kids learned about food values and even preparation. Those classes have been scrapped for test prep classes. I frequently see people in grocery stores checking out nutritional facts on packaging.

So, yes education and awareness are very important. It needs to be wide spread and more pronounced. Since no one knows how or if government health care will address the obesity problem, then its silly and negative thinking to just assume it won’t work.

The South has long been known for its tasty dishes high on calories and simple carbohydrates… cornbread stuffing, grits, sweet potato pie, chicken fried steak w/cream gravy…. and the list goes on. Changing that mind set won’t be easy. Educational awareness would be a great first step.

By Maggie W on 07/02/2009 9:52 am

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Maggie,

Not the cornbread dressing! That’s what I look forward to during the holidays :)!!!

By Kristy B on 07/02/2009 11:47 am

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Yum:) Me too Kristy;)

By S G on 07/02/2009 12:14 pm

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Kristy, you are another true Southern girl! No way on this earth would our Thanksgiving and Christmas be complete without it!!! And, it’s even better the next day! Oh, I left out meatloaf sandwiches, another great " day after" food! If I ate like that every day, I would waddle! :)

By Maggie W on 07/02/2009 3:32 pm

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Best advice I ever got, and probably many of you got the same advice, was to shop the perimeter of the store and not the inner aisles where the processed "foods" are. The very word "processed" makes me shudder.

By F P on 07/02/2009 10:08 am

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Processed to me means the following all the nutrients stripped and removed and replaced with fillers. People may as well eat cardboard.

By S G on 07/02/2009 10:32 am

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Yup—I try not to buy too much of that crap but Kraft Dinner still brings back childhood memories ;-)

By F P on 07/02/2009 11:42 am

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F P makes great Kraft Dinner… and sockeye baked in wine. Heavenly.

By Hines Hammond on 07/02/2009 7:09 pm

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Deber you say its personal choice. I have to disagree with you. People eat what they can afford. Our food supply has been pushed full of chemicals and High Fructose corn syrup. Stop and look at the ingredients in what most of these people can afford. You will be sickened.

Barbara it is wonderful your family ate healthy however most people now don’t have the education that we do on nutrition. Health classes and such do not exist in school any more. P.E. and recess have been put by the wayside too:(

It is easy to judge others . I feel we have been science experiments for corporations for years. People who are against health insurance and care for everyone will not change their mind.I hope we as a country are ready to evolve. Isn’t it time we put people first. OK sorry there is my rant;)

By S G on 07/02/2009 10:41 am

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I disagree with you. It is a personal choice. People living on low incomes can eat healthy food. We are far more educated now about how to "prepare" food than ever before. There are cooking shows which target healthy eating and substituting ingredients to fit your diet.

"People" have to put themselves first, S G. We cannot do that for them. If I’m at a fast food hamburger restaurant with $5.00 in my wallet, I’m buying the salad and fruit cup. What I find to be true is that "people" will skrimp on good food and buy the cheapest products and then take that product with them to sit down in front of their flat screen TV. It is all about personal choice.

Anyone can buy a bag of rice and a bag of dried beans for $3.00. They can enhance the rice and beans anyway they choose. Add a fruit bowl to the table for dessert. However, these choices take "effort." There will be leftovers for another meal or two during the week. Buying fresh vegetables and fruits in season is another way to cut costs.

During the depression, mothers found a way to stretch the food allowance. They didn’t have prepackaged food back then and they made meals from scratch with good ingredients. Dried beans, fresh beans, potatoes, rice, celery, onions, tomatoes should be staples in everyone’s kitchen. The results are endless. I believe most Americans eat far too much meat and that is what costs the most. We can get protein from beans and eggs. Cooking a frittata with six eggs can feed four people.

Just my opinion, of course.

By deber B on 07/02/2009 12:36 pm