With two-thirds of Americans overweight and one-third obese, America’s weight epidemic isn’t confined to a single region of the country. But a new report shows that some states are significantly heavier than others.

Last month, a report detailing adult and childhood obesity rates was published by Trust for America’s Health, a non-profit health policy organization.

The report includes an interactive color-coded map of adult and childhood obesity rates for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

A quick glance at the map shows that the South is far and away the heaviest region in the U.S. Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia each have adult obesity rates of 30 percent or higher.

Mississippi ranks worst in the nation for both adult and childhood obesity. Of the state’s adult population, 33.8 percent are obese; for children, 21.9 percent.

Colorado has the lowest rate of adult obesity (19.1 percent) while Oregon’s childhood obesity rate (9.6 percent) is the lowest in the nation.

Obesity is linked to a number of serious conditions such as heart disease, hypertension, depression and certain forms of cancer. The severity of these conditions is compounded by the fact that overweight and obese persons may struggle to find affordable health insurance coverage.

Similar Posts:

• U.S. Obesity Rate Continues to Rise
• Emergency Room Doctors See Increase In Medicaid Patients
• Ohio Home Insurance Rates Jump
• How to Know Events in Various Countries in America?
• GAO Report: Medicare Advantage Enrollment Still Rising