According to the annual Centers for Disease Control Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, obesity rates continue to rise in the U.S. In 2017, seven states had obesity rates of 35 percent or higher.
Obesity rates by state
In 1990, the state with the highest rate of obesity among residents was Mississippi, at 15 percent. By 2006, its rate had more than doubled. Colorado had the lowest rate, 17.6 percent.
Risks Associated with ObesityThe CDC says many medical conditions are associated with obesity. The most prevalent obesity-related diseases include:High blood pressureHigh cholesterolDiabetesHeart diseaseStrokeGallbladder diseaseOsteoarthritisSleep apnea and respiratory problemsSome cancers (endometrial, breast and colon)
U.S. rise
World rank:Since 1980, the obesity rate has doubled in 73 countries and increased in 113 others. According to the World Obesity Federation, the U.S., Kuwait and Scotland had the highest rates in 2014.
Recent stats and studies
The Huffington Post recently published an article titled “Everything you know about obesity is wrong” that examines how the medical community has failed to help overweight people and goes so far as to say it has ruined millions of lives.
Obesity in California
The portion of the population considered obese went from 9.9 percent in 1990 to about 25 percent in 2010, according to the California Department of Public Health.
Body mass index
The BMI was introduced in the early 19th century by Belgian mathematician Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet to provide a quick way to measure obesity in order to assist the government in allocating resources.
Normal BMI is 18.5-24.9. A National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute chart shows what the index defines as being overweight to being extremely obese.
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