Florida’s adult obesity rate is 26.2%, making the Sunshine State the 8th least obese state in the United State, according to the 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey recently released by the U.S. Center for Disease Control.
Although Florida’s adult obesity rate is lower than most states, it is still up substantially from from its former rate of 18.4% in 2000 and from 11.4% in 1990.
According to the CDC survey, no state had an obesity rate less than 20% and only five states had an obesity rate between 20% and 25%. The Midwest had the highest prevalence of obesity (30.7%), followed by the South (30.6%), the Northeast (27.3%), and the West (25.7%).
In 1980, no state had a rate above 15%, and in 1991, no state had a rate above 20%, according to The State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America, a report from the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Now, nationally, more than 30% of adults, nearly 17% of 2 to 19-year-olds and more than 8% of children ages 2 to 5 are obese.
“Efforts to prevent and reduce obesity over the past decade have made a difference. Stabilizing rates is an accomplishment. However, given the continued high rates, it isn’t time to celebrate,” said Jeffrey Levi, PhD, executive director of TFAH. “We’ve learned that if we invest in effective programs, we can see signs of progress. But, we still haven’t invested enough to really tip the scales yet.”
Obesity Increases Medical Costs, Risk Of Premature Death
The CDC warns that obesity-related conditions are some of the leading causes of preventable death which include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer.
The estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the U.S. was $147 billion in 2008 U.S. dollars; the medical costs for people who are obese were $1,429 higher than those of normal weight.
According to the newly released CDC data, the obesity rates by state from highest to lowest were:
1. Arkansas (35.9);
2. West Virginia (35.7);
3. Mississippi (35.5);
4. Louisiana (34.9);
5. Alabama (33.5);
6. Oklahoma (33.0);
7. Indiana (32.7);
8. Ohio (32.6);
9. North Dakota (32.2);
10. South Carolina (32.1);
11. Texas (31.9);
12. Kentucky (31.6);
13. Kansas (31.3);
14. (tie) Tennessee (31.2) and Wisconsin (31.2);
16. Iowa (30.9);
17. (tie) Delaware (30.7) and Michigan (30.7);
19. Georgia (30.5);
20. (tie) Missouri (30.2) and Nebraska (30.2) and Pennsylvania (30.2);
23. South Dakota (29.8);
24. (tie) Alaska (29.7) and North Carolina (29.7);
26. Maryland (29.6);
27. Wyoming (29.5);
28. Illinois (29.3);
29. (tie) Arizona (28.9) and Idaho (28.9);
31. Virginia (28.5);
32. New Mexico (28.4);
33. Maine (28.2);
34. Oregon (27.9);
35. Nevada (27.7);
36. Minnesota (27.6);
37. New Hampshire (27.4);
38. Washington (27.3);
39. (tie) New York (27.0) and Rhode Island (27.0);
41. New Jersey (26.9);
42. Montana (26.4);
43. Connecticut (26.3);
44. Florida (26.2);
45. Utah (25.7);
46. Vermont (24.8);
47. California (24.7);
48. Massachusetts (23.3);
49. Hawaii (22.1);
50. District of Columbia (21.7);
51. Colorado (21.3).
