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U.S. News -- October 10, 2022: The CDC reports that Nineteen states and two territories have at least 35% of residents with adult obesity – more than doubling the number of states with a high obesity prevalence since 2018.
Combined data from 2019–2021 show the number of states and territories with an obesity prevalence of 35 percent or higher varies widely across race and ethnicity:
American Indian or Alaska Native adults:31 states
Asian adults: 0 states
Black adults: 36 states and the District of Columbia
Hispanic adults: 27 states and Guam
White adults: 10 states
Adults who are obese are more likely to develop a variety of additional severe medical disorders, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, some malignancies, catastrophic COVID-19 results, and poor mental health. Additionally, a lot of obese people claim to have experienced stigma due of their weight.
Need for an Equitable and Accessible Approach to Obesity Prevention and Treatment
The significance of equitable access to prevention and treatment is highlighted by these findings. To lessen disparities and enhance the health of communities, supporting individuals with obesity and its associated health problems will require a sustained, all-encompassing effort from all facets of society. Additionally, there are drugs, established weight-management regimens, and bariatric surgery available as treatments for obesity. Inequitable access to effective obesity therapy does exist in the United States, nevertheless.
Numerous people's lifestyles and habits have changed as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic, changes that could either positively or negatively effect their weight. States and communities using these data to prioritize activities must address social determinants of health like poverty, lack of access to health care, unhealthy and inexpensive food, and safe and convenient venues to engage in physical activity in order to assure health equity. People who are concerned about being overweight should discuss their worries, any family history of chronic disease, current lifestyle, and other health risks with their healthcare professional.
There are key actions and resources that can help slow and ultimately reverse the obesity epidemic,” said Karen Hacker, MD, MPH, director of CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. “These include supporting healthy individual lifestyle changes and ensuring that all people have access to healthy foods, evidence-based health care services, obesity treatment programs, and safe places for physical activity.”
*State-based adult obesity prevalence by race, ethnicity, and location is based on self-reported height and weight data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
*The 19 states and two territories are: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
WNCTIMES by Marjorie Farrington
