These Are The Most 10 Obese States In the US

10 Obese States in the US: As per the World Health Organization, overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. A body mass index (BMI) over 25 is considered overweight, and over 30 is considered obese. This has been one of the most persistent public health concerns in the US. According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 40% of US adults are affected by obesity in the two-year period that ended in August 2023.

Among the 48 states, 23 had an adult obesity prevalence at or above 35% as per the CDC data survey. Of them, 3 states reported a rate of 40%. The data was compared with 2013 and it found that no state had an adult obesity rate at or above 35% back then.

As per the CDC, the most obese states spend approximately $173 billion annually on healthcare for conditions like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, stroke, and respiratory illness.

The rates of non-Hispanic Black adults were 35% in 38 states, the rates reached that level among Hispanic adults in 34 states and among American Indian or Alaska Native adults in 30. While adults only had obesity rates of at least 35% in 16 states, while Asian adults did not meet the threshold.

1. West Virginia at 41.7%

2. Arkansas at 40.5%

3. Mississippi at 40.4%

4. Louisiana at 39.9%

5. Alabama at 39.4%

6. Oklahoma at 39.0%

7. Iowa at 37.9%

8. Indiana at 37.8%

9. Tennessee at 37.8%

10. Nebraska at 36.5%

As per the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 2017-2018, nearly 1 in 3 adults in the US are overweight. More than 2 in 5 adults have obesity and 1 in 11 adults have severe obesity. The data also presents that 1 in 6 children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 are overweight. Almost 1 in 5 children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 have obesity and about 1 in 16 children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 have severe obesity.

Living with obesity can increase the risk of several chronic health conditions. These may include type 2 diabetes and cancer. Obesity is often associated with a reduced quality of life and poor mental health. Studies have shown that this happens because of the social stigma that exists around weight that is faced by people and this is why they do not seek for help.

A study published in the Journal of Nutrition in November 2024, studied over 10,000 adults and found that a higher waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio, and BMI, were associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. The study also found that those with the greatest increases in body weight or waist circumference over an average of 2.8 years had an approximately 1.5-and1.4-fold greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes, respectively.

The number of calories consumed by people in North America and Europe has been rising since 2000, it has reached to 3,540 per day in 2021, as per the United Nations (UN). The number of calories consumed is greater than the number of calories the body can burn, this is why the body stores the extra energy as fat, and this is what results to weight gain. Processed food further contains excess of sodium, sugar, and fat, which contains way more calories than needed. Furthermore, eating refined sugar can also raise your insulin and make you hungrier, causing you to eat more.