CDC unveils national obesity rates: Where does your state rank?

This map, released Monday August 13 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, provides state estimates on U.S. obesity rates.

/ CDC

(CBS/AP) A new government survey shows 12 states now have very high obesity rates among its adult residents.

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System telephone survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gathered a nationally representative rate of Americans across the U.S. by calling 400,000 Americans in 2011, asking them about their height and weight.

What did the survey show? Overall, more than a third of adults are obese, similar to earlier reports, but rates differ by state.

State rates remained about the same although the number of those with very high rates went from nine to 12. That signifies that at least 30 percent of adults are obese in Alabama (32 percent), Arkansas (30.9 percent), Indiana (30.8 percent), Kentucky (30.4 percent), Louisiana (33.4 percent), Michigan (31.3 percent), Mississippi (34.9 percent), Missouri (30.3 percent), Oklahoma (31.1 percent), South Carolina (30.8 percent), Texas (30.4 percent) and West Virginia (32.4 percent).

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Colorado was lowest, at just under 21 percent obesity, and Mississippi was highest at nearly 36 percent. No state had obesity prevalence under 20 percent and 39 states had a prevalence of 25 percent or more.

The CDC released the figures Monday. The new obesity map of 2011 rates was created using a different set of methodology from earlier maps, namely the inclusion of cell-phone only households into the data. That means the data can't be scientifically compared to earlier obesity rates, and this new map will serve as a baseline reading of national obesity rates for years to come

A time-lapse map on the CDC's website shows obesity in America dating back to 1985 through 2010 - the map over time becomes more colorful as it approaches current rates of the obesity epidemic.

To see where your state stacks up, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

[ErnestSpoon]

With the State Fair in full swing, an homage to deep-fat fried foods, I am outraged Iowa did not make the top 12!

C'mon, Iowans! Those bacon-wrapped corn dogs and butter-on-a-stick aren't going to eat themselves!!

[jtdev1]

ya think injecting growth hormones into the animals before slaughter has anything to do with it??? Naw, meat is meat...

What about HFCS? Naw, sugar is sugar...

What about Genetically Modified Vegetables/Corn? Naw, veggies is veggies...


Then I don't see no problem here..

Carry on........

[EmpireGeorge______--]

"genetically modified vegetables"......are those bad words to a vegan liberal ? we've been modifying and using hybrids for centuries to get the best possible resistant crops......you actually fear a veggie gene that has been changed ? that drought resistant gene is killing you.....no problem

[jtdev1]

EmpireGeorge, You don't know what your talking about. You obviously don't know anything about the genetically modified foods that Monsanto and others are engineering.

It's far different than picking the best of the bunch and (for lack of a better word) breeding them together.

When a company splices genes together from plant and microbe, that is concerning.

[bbeech]

I think the data is skewed. They're not allowed to call cell phones to poll people. Many, many people have gone to a cell-phone-only lifestyle and have done away with the land lines. I would think that these cell-phone-only people would be more mobile/on-the-go and probably have a healthier lifestyle.
I'm not suggesting that we're healthy, but that the data may be skewed in such a way as to overstate the results of obesity. I'd like to see a more scientific approach to the collection of data - then report. I mean, it is the CDC; no one thought about that?!

[dramapsychic]

WHAT?? LMAO you think people who use cell phones are more active and therefore less likely to be obese?? what an absured statement. I've seen lots of fatties using cell phones. Your statement is SOO stupid, as to not event warrant any further comment. dumba$$

[LtSmily]

Actually I was in Colorado last year for about 2 weeks, and there were no more thin versus fat people than when I was in Nevada, Michigan, or South Carolina. What is the measurement being used? Flawed BMI readings that true medical science laughs at? Again the argument is healthcare versus medical care, as in we are responsible for our own health. Eat at McDonald's more than home, expect to be fat, unless you want tainted apple slices. Eat at Burger King or Taco Bell more than home, expect to have health issues. And yet money is spent on studies like this?

[jcnbma]

Mississippi: fattest state, least educated state, poorest state, highest teen pregnancy state, and most religious zealots. Oh yea, and it's as Republican as can be. Yea, remind me not to move there.

[bbeech]

Please - do not move there. EVER

[dramapsychic]

thumbs UP for your post. repubican AND christian don't forget. Fat and Dumb.

[MIO42]

Empty Calories,Salt&Sugar,Automoiles,Advertising JunkFood,TV,Fast Food,Drugs , Selfishness ,no exercise
SEEMS FAIRLY NORMAL

[johnlockesghost]

Interesting in that about a third of the comments associate obesity with partisan politics. Wow!

Watch the food adds on TV. Mostly they present foods from the perspective of their taste (yummetness, if you will) and not from the perspective of health benefit. Other than that, laziness and food conscientiousness (i.e. reading the food labels on food items) are pretty much absent in American life. The government has gone to the trouble of informing the public what foods are good for them, only to be ignored by an ignorant public. So. obesity is the result and, generally, but not specifically, the public deserves their ill health. That being said, healthy people ought not be required to pay the bill.

[estabwary]

Starved for love; trying to make up for it with food.

[lesliep4819]

Ain't that the truth. Sad.

[cab_351]

big business created this problem,,how??? video games,allowing use of fillers in meat!

[taxed01]

9 of the top 12 fat states also happen to be in the top 14 states for percentage of population on food stamps. So they are not only fat, they are paid to be fat by the taxpayers. And the democrats think this is just great and we should be doing more of the same.

[nolapearl]

They also happen to be red states. So I think your thought process is flawed. I live in Louisiana where everyone I know is a Republican, they are all overweight and I know several of them who complain about the government and have their hands out for government assistance, in the form of Medicare and social security disability. So don't blame this one on the Democrats.

[honestabe8]

My state (Michigan) is the northernmost of the fat states and I do believe we are a blue state

[lillyhorton]

I couldn't read the chart. Too small. What are the white states?