merica is fatter than ever, despite a growing awareness of the dangers of obesity. In fact, the number of states in the South with severe obesity problems doubled last year, according to a recent report by Trust for America's Health, entitled "F is for Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2010." (Watch a report about the study.) Washington, D.C., was the only area where adult obesity rates dropped. "Obesity is one of the biggest public health challenges the country has ever faced," Trust for America's Health director Jeffery Levi tells Reuters. So, just how overweight are we? Here, a look at the numbers:
28
Total number of states in which obesity rates increased in 2009
108 million
Number of Americans who are overweight, including those who qualify as obese — meaning they have a body mass index of 30 or higher
10
Number of the Southern states on the list of the 11 fattest states
6
Number of years Mississippi has topped the list — this year, with 33.8 percent of the population categorized as obese
8
Number of states, including Louisiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma and West Virginia, with obesity rates of over 30 percent, up from last year's total of four
43
Number of states in which African-American obesity rates exceed 30 percent, with nine states where rates are above 40 percent
35.3
Percentage of adults earning less than $15,000 per year who are obese
24.5
Percentage of adults earning more than $50,000 annually who are obese
38
Number of states with obesity rates over 25 percent, as of 2010
0
Number of states with obesity rates over 20 percent in 1991
19.1
Percentage of adults categorized as obese in Colorado, America's thinnest state
84
Percentage of parents who believe their children are a healthy weight
33
Approximate percentage of teens and children who are obese or overweight
12 million
Approximate number of children and teenagers who are considered obese
50
Percentage of people who believe that more money should be invested in childhood obesity prevention
60 million
Number of people who eat at McDonald's per day
37
Percentage of adults who report that they are not at all physically active
41 million
Number of Americans who are estimated to have pre-diabetes, most of whom will develop type 2 diabetes within 10 years
831,272
Number of Americans who died from cardiovascular diseases in 2006 — more than 34 percent of all recorded fatalities
See the full study online, here.
Sources: HealthyAmerica.org, American Heart Association, Fitness.gov, WebMD, Forbes, Associated Press, Reuters, Business Week
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