Source: www.cnn.com
UNITED STATES July 1, 2009: Study shows a whopping two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese, and obesity rates for children are at or above 30 percent in 30 states.
The percentage of adults classified as obese went up in 23 states, but Mississippi, with 32.5 percent, stayed atop the latest annual rankings by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Trust for America’s Health. The same survey put the state’s adult obesity rate at 31.7 percent in 2008. In addition, 44.4 percent of Mississippi children ages 10 to 17 are classified as overweight or obese, the study found.
Doctors have linked obesity to increased risks of a variety of conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, arthritis and heart disease. Wednesday’s study found the current U.S. economic slump could worsen the problem by putting more nutritious food out of the reach of struggling families.
Dr. Ed Thompson, Mississippi’s state health officer, said the state is taking steps to address what he called “a multifaceted problem,” targeting schoolchildren in particular. “We can’t tell our children to eat wise dietary choices and then provide them with little except for poor dietary choices in their school cafeterias,” Thompson said.