Obesity Crisis Rises As 31% Of American Adults Are Overweight, Report Says
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The national obesity crisis is getting worse, according to a new report. The organization Trust for America's Health released the report that studied data from all 50 states, including newly released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and analysis by TFAH.
The national average of obese adults is 31% and Pennsylvania ranked among those states with an average rate.
New Jersey has a 26% obesity rate, one of the lowest in the country.
Delaware came in above average with an obesity rate of more than 33%.
"These latest data shout that our national obesity crisis is getting worse," Trust for America's Health CEO John Auerbach said. "They tell us that almost 50 years into the upward curve of obesity rates we haven't yet found the right mix of programs to stop the epidemic. Isolated programs and calls for life-style changes aren't enough. Instead, our report highlights the fundamental changes that are needed in the social and economic conditions that make it challenging for people to eat healthy foods and get sufficient exercise."
Mississippi and West Virginia had the highest obesity rate at 39.5% and Colorado had the lowest with 23%.
