U.S. obesity rates plateauing at 1/3 of pop

Minnie2361

http://life.nationalpost.com/2013/08/15/u-s-obesity-rates-plateauing-at-a-very-high-number-with-13-states-at-nearly-one-third-of-adult-population/

A plateau is better than rising numbers. But it’s discouraging because we’re plateauing at a very high number,” said Kelly Brownell, a Duke University public policy expert who specializes in obesity.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does the survey each year, and recently released 2012 results.

At least 30% of adults were obese in 13 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia. In 2011, a dozen states reached that threshold.

Louisiana and Mississippi led the list. In both, nearly 35% of adults were obese. Colorado was lowest, with less than 21 per cent obese
It’s not surprising states in the South and Midwest top the charts year after year, experts say. Many states in those regions have higher poverty rates.


‘When you have a limited income, you have to buy foods that are cheap. And foods that are cheap tend to have a lot of sugar and salt and fat’

snazzyjazzy21

Cheer up guys, New Zealand as the third fattest country in the OECD. And we only have a population of 4.4 million.

RoadsterGirlie

Perhaps a person stops gaining at a certain weight, eating 4000 to 5000 calories a day. Once you are 300 lbs plus, it can take a lot more calories to move around than if you were thin.

Just like your body levels out to a normal weight/size when eating healthy, it's possible that you might level off the same way eating junk.

This is all speculation on my part, of course. I'd love to hear other people's thoughts.

lyndausvi

I'm not surprised at Louisiana at all. I lived there for 17 months and put on weight. The food culture there is far from healthy (at least in the NOLA area).

In January we moved to Indiana. Honestly, it's a much healthier lifestyle for us. With all the farms around healthier foods are fresh and less expensive. Where we live there are walking and bike trails promoting a more active lifestyle. The trails are always full of runners and bikers. Although I live in Indy, so I'm not seeing the rest of the state.

RoadsterGirlie

I'm not surprised at Louisiana at all. I lived there for 17 months and put on weight. The food culture there is far from healthy (at least in the NOLA area).

In January we moved to Indiana. Honestly, it's a much healthier lifestyle for us. With all the farms around healthier foods are fresh and less expensive. Where we live there are walking and bike trails promoting a more active lifestyle. The trails are always full of runners and bikers. Although I live in Indy, so I'm not seeing the rest of the state.

It's interesting here in Raleigh. I moved here from Southern California a year ago, and I was shocked to see how many overweight people are here, compared to where I came from.

We do have a spectacular greenway system that's used for biking, running, hiking, etc. I use it all the time with my mountain bike. Although this city's general population sounds a lot like Louisiana, it's rare I ever see anybody's who's overweight on the trails.

Xalanii

Well when the cheapest to calorie ration foods out there are McDonalds and junk food, it's no wonder why.

We keep subsidizing bad food, we can't be surprised when people with low incomes become fat.

RoadsterGirlie

Funny, I spend WAYYYYY less on food now that I've adapted a healthy lifestyle than before.

That has been cut down even further now that my husband has joined me in this lifestyle.

Granted, my husband and I were eating out far too much, which was part of the problem. I've been blessed to never have to scrimp by on 25 cent raman, but I'm sure there are ways around that if you put some thought and effort into it.