Nearly 17 percent of 2- to 19-year-olds and over 8 percent of children aged 2 to 5 are obese
TUESDAY, Sept. 22, 2015 (HealthDay News) — In 2014, obesity rates increased in Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio, and Utah, according to a report released Monday from the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Nationally, more than 30 percent of adults are obese. The South and Midwest have the highest adult obesity rates, making up 23 of the 25 states with rates now topping 30 percent. In 42 states, blacks have obesity rates of 30 percent or more, as do Hispanics in 30 states. Obesity rates of 30 percent or more among whites are found in 13 states. In addition, nearly 17 percent of 2- to 19-year-olds and more than 8 percent of children aged 2 to 5 are obese, according to the report.
The highest obesity rate was posted in Arkansas, at 35.9 percent. Colorado had the lowest rate, at 21.3 percent. In three states — Arkansas, Mississippi, and West Virginia — the obesity rate was greater than 35 percent. The obesity rate was at or above 30 percent in 22 states and was not below 21 percent in any state, the researchers found.
Other findings from the report include: Among states with the highest rates of type 2 diabetes, nine of the 10 are in the South; rates of diabetes have increased in eight states: Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania; and racial groups with the highest obesity rates include American Indians and Alaska Natives, at 54 percent.
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