Obesity Report: Americans Keep Getting Fatter

An annual obesity report has just been released, showing that obesity rates have risen in 28 states. Washington D.C. was the only area to see a decline in adult obesity rates.

The obesity report also surveyed parents attitudes toward health and childhood obesity. The report shows that awareness has grown across the country, but habits have not changed.

“This report shows that the country has taken bold steps to address the obesity crisis in recent years, but the nation’s response has yet to fully match the magnitude of the problem,” said Jeffrey Levi, executive director of the Trust for America’s Health.

The Associated Press reports that Mississippi maintains its reign as the fattest state in the nation for the sixth straight year, while 7 more states, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, West Virginia, Louisiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Arkansas, have an obesity rate of over 30%.

Obesity rates have risen drastically in the past 20 years. In 1991, no state had an obesity rate of over 20%. Now, two-thirds of states have an obesity rate above 25%.