By Karyn Chenoweth Sep 30, 2007, 0:17 GMT
Americans are fatter than ever, but where they are fat is an interesting snapshot of regional values and society.
REUTERS/Toby Melville
New Englanders are lean, Texans are fatter, and Southerners bust their belts according to the following Trust for America's Health report:
From the fattest to the leanest, adult obesity rankings by state:
1: Mississippi; 2: West Virginia; 3: Alabama; 4: Louisiana; 5 (tie): South Carolina, Tennessee; 7: Kentucky; 8: Arkansas; 9 (tie): Indiana, Michigan, Oklahoma; 12 (tie): Missouri, Texas; 14: Georgia; 15: Ohio; 16: Alaska; 17: North Carolina; 18: Nebraska; 19: North Dakota; 20 (tie): Iowa, South Dakota; 22: Wisconsin; 23 (tie): Pennsylvania, Virginia; 25 (tie): Illinois, Maryland; 27: Kansas; 28: Minnesota; 29: Delaware; 30: Oregon; 31 (tie): Idaho, Washington; 33: Maine; 34: Florida; 35: Wyoming; 36: California; 37: Nevada; 38 (tie): New Hampshire, New York; 40 (tie): D.C., New Jersey; 42: New Mexico; 43: Arizona; 44: Utah; 45: Montana; 46: Rhode Island; 47 (tie): Connecticut, Hawaii; 49: Vermont; 50: Massachusetts; 51: Colorado.
Interestingly, the literacy rates for leaner New England, Oregon and Colorado are the highest in the Union.
ABC reports that Americans are inundated with the latest statistics, weight-loss products and information about the state of their health.
They cite the latest figures that the United States too many adults (about 66 percent) and children and adolescents (about 33 percent) officially overweight or obese.
ABC cites that American efforts to lose weight have dropped 14 percentage points in the last four years, according to new research from the America On the Move Foundation (AOMF).
Not being able to sustain big lifestyle changes that experts tell them they need for weight loss is cited by ABC as an example of the failure to address obesity.
A sustainability problem is the core of the problem.
Weight management is called for, as most Americans gains one to two pounds each year; it is this gradual weight gain that is fueling increasing obesity rates. AOMF studies prove that making two small changes each day can reap big rewards over time.
Simple calorie busting steps such as adding 2,000 steps a day (about a mile) and cutting 100 calories (about a pat of butter) can add up, according to ABC, to keep off those few extra annual pounds.
Getting started is key, by parking at the edge of the parking lot, or walking once around the grocery store before beginning to shop, or even walking through the house while talking on the telephone all are easy ways to add steps in your day.
ABC announces this week, AOMF, a national non-profit group that is helping millions of Americans embrace healthy eating and active living habits, partnered with the YMCA of the USA for America On the Move Week with the YMCA.
Through Sept. 27, more than 1,500 YMCAs across the country hosted activities that inspired individuals and families to take small steps to get active.
Visit www.americaonthemove.org to find a participating YMCA near you.
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