U.S. obesity rates continue to climb

LOS ANGELES, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-six states in the United States saw a rise in adult obesity rates during the past year while there was no decrease in any other state, newly-released figures showed.

Meanwhile, the number of obese and overweight children has now climbed to 30 percent in 30 states, according to findings in an annual report on obesity in America, released on Wednesday by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

This was a troubling trend that could signal decades of weight-related health problems such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease as these children become adults, said the report.

Overall, two-thirds of American adults are now obese or overweight, according to the report.

In 31 states, obesity rates exceed 25 percent, and in 49 states and Washington, D.C., the rates are above 20 percent.

As recently as 1991, no state had an adult obesity rate higher than 20 percent; and in 1980 just 15 percent of adults were obese, the report noted.

And childhood obesity continues to be a growing concern, with the rate of childhood obesity more than tripling since 1980, the report said.

For the fifth year in a row, Mississippi topped the list as the state with the highest rate of adult obesity, at 32.5 percent, according to the report.

Besides Mississippi, West Virginia, Alabama and Tennessee have obesity rates above 30 percent. Eight of the 10 states with the highest number of obese adults are in the South. The state with the lowest adult obesity rate is Colorado, at 18.9 percent, according to the report.

Mississippi also had the dubious distinction of posting the highest rate of obesity in children aged 10 to 17, at 44.4 percent. Minnesota and Utah had the lowest rates, both at 23.1 percent. The South is home to eight of the 10 states with the highest rates of obese or overweight children.

The current economic crisis could make the obesity epidemic worse, with food costs -- especially for nutritious foods -- expected to rise. And the numbers of Americans struggling with depression, anxiety and stress, which can contribute to obesity, are increasing, the report said.

But the report seemed to suggest some tentative signs of hope.

"The good news to be found in the actual obesity numbers is that the pace of the epidemic growth may be starting to slow," Dr.James S. Marks, senior vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, said. "We are still getting fatted, but maybe a little more slowly than before."