WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new report shows West Virginia’s adult obesity rate, while still high, is not gaining.
“After years and years of watching the rates rise, it’s been the first year that they’ve leveled off,” said Laura Segal, director of public affairs for the Trust for America’s Health, with co-authored the study with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Segal helped write this year’s obesity report, titled “F As In Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future.” It showed the nation’s 30-year trend of rising obesity rates stalled in 2012, with rates remaining stable in every state except Arkansas.
For West Virginia, that means a continued obesity rate of 33.8 percent, which still ranks the Mountain State the fourth fattest in the United States. Only Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas have higher obesity rates.
Colorado showed the lowest obesity rate at 20.5 percent.
View the complete report here.
“Hopefully, some of the policies and different efforts that people are making will start paying off, and this might be the first sign of progress,” said Segal.
The report shows obesity disparities based on income and education. More than 31 percent of adults 18 and older who earn less than $25,000 annually were obese, compared with 25.4 percent of those earning $50,000 or more. Adults 26 and up who did not graduate high school showed an obesity rate above 35 percent, compared with 21.3 percent of those who graduated from college or technical college.
How all 50 states and the District of Columbia stacked up, from most to least obese:
1. Louisiana (34.7%)
2. Mississippi (34.6%)
3. Arkansas (34.5%)
4. West Virginia (33.8%)
5. Alabama (33%)
6. Oklahoma (32.2%)
7. South Carolina (31.6%)
8. Indiana (31.4%)
9. Kentucky (31.3%)
10. (tie) Michigan and Tennessee (31.1%)
12. Iowa (30.4%)
13. Ohio (30.1%)
14. Kansas (29.9%)
15. (tie) North Dakota and Wisconsin (29.7%)
17. (tie) Missouri and North Carolina (29.6%)
19. Texas (29.2%)
20. (tie) Georgia and Pennsylvania (29.1%)
22. Nebraska (28.6%)
23. Maine (28.4%)
24. (tie) Illinois and South Dakota (28.1%)
26. Maryland (27.6%)
27. Virginia (27.4%)
28. (tie) New Hampshire and Oregon (27.3%)
30. New Mexico (27.1%)
31. Delaware (26.9%)
32. (tie) Idaho and Washington (26.8%)
34. Nevada (26.2%)
35. Arizona (26%)
36. (tie) Alaska, Minnesota and Rhode Island (25.7%)
39. Connecticut (25.6%)
40. Florida (25.2%)
41. California (25%)
42. (tie) New Jersey and Wyoming (24.6%)
44. (tie) Montana and Utah (24.3%)
46. Vermont (23.7%)
47. (tie) Hawaii and New York (23.6%)
49. Massachusetts (22.9%)
50. District of Columbia (21.9%)
51. Colorado (20.5%)
For 10 years now, the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have been releasing adult obesity rates and rankings.