A little over 20 years ago there was a national study on obesity in America that offered an insight into obesity rates on a state-by-state perspective. In the 1991 findings, a portion of states reported less than 10% obesity rates, and a large chunk of states showed obesity rates between 10%-20%. No state reported an obesity rate of over 20% in 1991.
Flash forward 20 years and a disturbing trend has been revealed. The majority of US States now show an obesity rate between 25%-30%, and Colorado has the lowest obesity rate at 19.1%. That means that the thinnest state in 2013 is likely fatter than any state was in 1991.
Further findings show that Mississippi has the highest obesity rate at 33.8%, meaning that more than 1 in 3 individuals in Mississippi are obese.
Obesity rates have risen over the last 20 years for a variety of reasons, but experts say processed foods and the rise of the Internet have led consumers to eat more unhealthy foods and have a more sedentary lifestyle.
Dr. Silverman comments
Oh my goodness!
Two decades of growth is very disturbing. We will never rid our society of obesity, but we need to make major changes to our societal behavior to reverse this terrible trend.
There are those who claim government attempts at restricting the excessive behavior that leads to obesity violates personal freedoms, like banning all soft drinks over a certain size in New York. The problem with this argument is that we are all paying dearly for this behavior. Obesity does and will continue to cost our society in health insurance costs. We have to do something, and it begins by taking personal responsibility for what we put in our bodies!
Related source: TreeHugger.com