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Back to newsNo Letup in US Obesity Epidemic - Lisa Nainggolan
July 8, 2011 (Washington DC)— A new report illustrates in stark terms how the obesity epidemic in the US has spiraled in the past two decades and pinpoints, on a state-by-state basis, where the largest increases have occurred [1]. The authors stress, however, that ranking the states in this way is not a reproof; rather, "we want to raise awareness, drive action, identify solutions, and reverse the epidemic."
"F as in fat: How obesity threatens American's future 2011," a report from the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), shows that the problem is greatest in the South, which has nine of the 10 states with the highest adult obesity rates. Mississippi holds the dubious title of state with the highest adult obesity rate, for the seventh year in a row, and obesity has grown fastest in Alabama, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.
For the first time, the report looks at how obesity levels have altered over the past 20 years; two decades ago, no state had an obesity rate above 15%, whereas now, 12 states have rates above 30% (even just four years ago, only one state had a rate above 30%). Two out of three states have obesity rates over 25%; just one, Colorado, has a rate lower than 20%.
"Today, the state with the lowest obesity rate would have had the highest rate in 1995," says Dr Jeff Levi (executive director, TFAH) in a statement [2]. "There was a clear tipping point in our national weight gain over the past 20 years, and we can't afford to ignore the impact obesity has on our health."
In terms of childhood and adolescent obesity, more than one-third of children aged 10 to 17 are obese (16.4%) or overweight (18.2%), and Mississippi again tops the poll, with a rate of 21.9%, with nine other states, plus DC, having childhood obesity rates >20%.
The report points out the inverse relationship between educational attainment and income and obesity and invites readers to "imagine what it is like to live in a neighborhood where there are no supermarkets, sidewalks, or community playgrounds, where being outside may not be safe, and joining a gym is not an option."
The aim is to help promote change by advocating a number of policies that are backed by scientific research and likely to make an impact quickly, particularly for those people whose options have been most limited. These include initiatives aimed at improving access to affordable healthy foods and safe places for children to walk, bike, and play in the communities hardest hit by the epidemic and with the fewest resources.
Late Thursday, the American Heart Association issued a statement highlighting the TFAH report, calling the rise in obesity rates "astonishing" and calling on Americans "to recognize the severity of the obesity crisis" and "the need for collective action among food manufacturers, restaurants, government and consumers to change the direction we are headed."
References:
- Trust for America's Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. F as in fat: How obesity threatens American's future, 2011. Available here.
- Trust for America's Health. F as in fat: How obesity threatens American's future. July 2011. Available here.
