At 33 percent, Oklahoma now has the sixth highest adult obesity rate in the nation, according to The State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America, a report from the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Across the country, rates increased in five states: Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio and Utah. It remained stable in the rest, including Oklahoma.
Rates of obesity are above 35 percent for the first time ever in three states; Arkansas, West Virginia and Mississippi, are at or above 30 percent in 22 states and are not below 21 percent in any. Arkansas had the highest rate of obesity at 35.9 percent, while Colorado had the lowest at 21.3 percent. In 1980, no state had a rate above 15 percent, and in 1991, no state had a rate above 20.
The State of Obesity finds that significant geographic, income, racial and ethnic disparities persist, with obesity rates highest in the South and among Blacks, Latinos and lower-income, less-educated Americans. Obesity puts some 78 million Americans at an increased risk for a range of health problems, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer.