The nation is growing fatter and fatter, CDC says
The obesity trend continues, according to the latest report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Considering 2010 data, a third of American adults are obese and 17 percent of kids are obese. In 12 states, more than 30 percent are obese. In Maryland, 27 percent are.
It’s a problem in every state, CDC officials say – no state came in at less than 20 percent and no state met the national Healthy People 2010 goal to lower obesity to 15 percent within a decade.
Here’s a link to the data, from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which is a phone surgey of 400,000 adults.
“State obesity rates are still high,” said CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden, in a statement. “Some of the leading causes of death are obesity-related - heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. We must continue our efforts to reverse this epidemic.”
According to the report, the South had the highest rate, at 29.4 percent. The Midwest’s rate was 28.7 percent, the Northeast’s was 24.9 percent and the West’s was 24.1 percent.
Is it hopeless?
