New Report: 1 in 3 Americans Beyond Overweight

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http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/ct-obese-america-report-20170901-story.html
>CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — One-third of American adults and one in six children are now obese, although an annual report released Thursday by two nonprofit groups found that rates could be stabilizing.

>The study analyzed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figures and used body mass index, a measure of height and weight. Those with a BMI of 25 to 29 are considered overweight; 30 and above is obese. The report released by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that West Virginia had the highest obesity rate at 37.7 percent. Mississippi was second at 37.3 percent and Alabama and Arkansas were tied for third at 35.7 percent. The report says the adult obesity rate increased between 2015 and 2016 in Colorado, Minnesota, Washington and West Virginia, fell in Kansas, and was stable elsewhere. Colorado had the lowest rate, at 22.3 percent.

>The report noted that 25 states had obesity rates above 30 percent. In 2000, no state had a rate above 25 percent. Nine of the 11 states with the highest obesity rates are in the South. States in the Northeast and the West had lower obesity rates.

>This is the first time in 14 years of conducting the annual report that any state's rate dropped, and rates of increases in other states have begun to slow, Trust for America's Health President and CEO John Auerbach said.

>"We conclude the report with a fair amount of optimism," Auerbach said on a conference call. "The adult rates are showing signs of leveling off and the childhood rates are stabilizing. In our review of the policies and strategies, we found that many (states) show a lot of promise for reversing the trends and improving health if we make them a higher priority."