Obesity is one of the greatest health risks America's population faces today, according to the United Health Foundation's 25th annual America's Health Rankings. Our nation spends an estimated $147 billion to $210 billion on obesity and obesity-related health issues every year.
The rate of obesity has nearly tripled since 1990 and this year rates continued to rise. After a slight decline in 2013, the obesity rate spiked up 7 percent to 29.4 percent of adults in 2014, according to the report. Similarly, physical inactivity also increased.
"It is inevitable that increases in the rates of obesity and physical inactivity will result in more people suffering from significant chronic diseases that compromise the quality of their lives, adversely affect their families and are unaffordable for the nation," Reed Tuckson, MD, senior medical adviser to United Health Foundation, said in a statement.
Obesity rates are not standard across the population. College graduates tend to be less obese than their less educated peers: their obesity rate is two-thirds that of Americans with less education. However, at a rate of 34.2 percent, the most obese group of Americans is middle aged adults from 45 to 64 years old.
Obesity rates also vary greatly state to state. The following states are ranked from least to most obese, based on self-reported data from the CDC's 2013 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System report:
- Colorado — 21.3 percent of the population is obese, with a BMI of 30.0 or higher
- Hawaii — 21.8 percent
- Massachusetts — 23.6 percent
- California — 24.1 percent
- Utah — 24.1 percent
- Montana — 24.6 percent
- Vermont — 24.7 percent
- Connecticut — 24.9 percent
- New York — 25.4 percent
- Minnesota — 25.5 percent
- Nevada — 26.2 percent
- New Jersey — 26.3 percent
- Florida —26.4 percent
- New Mexico — 26.4 percent
- Oregon — 26.5 percent
- New Hampshire — 26.7 percent
- Arizona — 26.8 percent
- Virginia — 27.2 percent
- Washington — 27.2 percent
- Rhode Island — 27.3 percent
- Wyoming — 27.8 percent
- Maryland — 28.3 percent
- Alaska — 28.4 percent
- Maine — 28.9 percent
- Illinois — 29.4 percent
- North Carolina — 29.4 percent
- Idaho — 29.6 percent
- Nebraska — 29.6 percent
- Wisconsin — 29.8 percent
- South Dakota — 29.9 percent
- Kansas — 30.0 percent
- Pennsylvania — 30.0 percent
- Georgia — 30.3 percent
- Missouri — 30.4 percent
- Ohio — 30.4 percent
- Texas — 30.9 percent
- Delaware — 31.0 percent
- North Dakota — 31.0 percent
- Iowa — 31.3 percent
- Michigan — 31.5 percent
- South Carolina — 31.7 percent
- Indiana — 31.8 percent
- Alabama — 32.4 percent
- Oklahoma — 32.5 percent
- Louisiana — 33.1 percent
- Kentucky — 33.2 percent
- Tennessee — 33.7 percent
- Arkansas — 34.6 percent
- Tie between Mississippi and West Virginia — 35.1 percent
(District of Columbia — 22.8 percent)
The CDC provides community-based increased for hospitals, workplaces, schools, child care programs and neighborhoods to help fight obesity.
More articles on population health:
Enhanced patient engagement: The key to population health management?
CDC: 2014's top 10 challenging public health threats
The healthiest & unhealthiest states in America: Where does your state rank?