Obesity is considered an epidemic in this country. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 41.9% of Americans were obese in 2017 (CDC, 2022). The numbers of obese individuals has probably increased to greater than 50% in 2023, but no current data is available.
According to the Roberts Woods Johnson (2023) data, obesity is the result of several factors such as overeating, lack of physical activity, genetics, culture, and metabolism. Personally, I do not want to subscribe to the idea of genetics and metabolism when diet consumption is probably a result of culture, habit and the type of food consumed. There are food deserts all across the United States in low income neighborhoods. Sadly, it is cheaper to buy fast food then a head of lettuce and a tomato.
Americans consume to much fast food, that is full of sugar and fat. As a result we have an unhealthy population. Sugar is added to many foods as a filler. Sugar is addicting (Healthline, 2022). You will find sugar is added to most foods to enhance the taste, thus making it difficult to remove from your diet.
Obesity is linked to many health issues that can change the quality of your life, or cause death, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain types of cancer, and stroke (CDC, 2022).
Here are the 10 states with the highest rates of obesity:
- Mississippi – 40.80%
- West Virginia – 39.70%
- Arkansas – 37.40%
- Oklahoma – 36.80%
- Kentucky – 36.50%
- Tennessee – 36.50%
- Alabama – 36.10%
- Michigan – 36.00%
- Louisiana – 35.90%
- South Carolina – 35.40%
Go to the link below to find your state ranking. It is your personal responsibility to take care of your health and well being. You can start by changing one thing in your diet and see if it makes a difference. Try giving up soda, or french fries, and stop supersizing your food, and drink more water. Your body will appreciate it and you will feel better.
References:
Adult Obesity Facts/Overweight. (2022). https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
Healthline. (2022). https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/experts-is-sugar-addictive-drug
Most Obese States in 2023. https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/most-obese-states. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Copyright © 2004-2023
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