There are now 16 states in which at least 35% of residents are obese, up from 9 in 2018.
- Just two decades ago, no state had an obesity rate above 25%.
- The majority of states facing rising obesity rates are in the South and Midwest, in the center of the country.
- This increase would be due to stress, in particular caused by the pandemic.
The United States is one of the countries with the highest obesity rate in the world. Bad news, this situation is only getting worse. According to the latest data, covering the year 2020, published this Wednesday by the American health authorities, 16 states have more than 35% of obese inhabitants. A number that is constantly increasing.
The South and the Midwest mainly affected
The number of states with very high obesity rates has nearly doubled in just two years. In 2018, 9 States were concerned against 16 now. Just two decades ago, no state had an obesity rate above 25%. Geographically, the majority of states facing rising obesity rates are in the South and Midwest, in the center of the country. Texas and Iowa are among the newcomers, alongside Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, ‘Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia.
These new figures, based on self-reported data on the height and weight of residents, are alarming. “Obesity is linked to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and many types of cancerpoint the Trust for America’s Healthwho published a report analyzing the CDC figures. It also increases healthcare costs by $149 billion a year and increases the risk of hospitalization and death from Covid-19..”
An increase attributable to the health crisis
The reasons for this increase would be to be found on the side of the pandemic. “Obesity has increased during the coronavirus pandemic as stressed Americans have lost their jobs, changed their eating habits, reduced physical activity and experienced higher rates of food insecurity”, suggested Nadine Gracia, the CEO of Trust for America’s Health. The disease is also affecting an increasing number of children. In 2017-2018, 19% of children were obese, more than triple the rate in the mid-1970s.
Moreover, the study shows disparities among people affected by obesity. Over the period, no state found an obesity rate higher than 35% among people of Asian origin. In contrast, black residents of 35 states had obesity rates of 35% or more. For Hispanics, this rate is found in 22 states, compared to only 7 for Caucasians. “It really fits with what we know about the stress associated with living every day or a lifetime of racism.”, says Fatima Cody Stanford, researchers at Harvard Medical School.
.
