NEW YORK, N.Y. - A group campaigning against obesity predicts that by 2030 more than half the people in 39 states will be obese — not merely overweight, but obese.
Mississippi is expected to retain its crown as the fattest state in the nation for at least two more decades. The report predicts 67 per cent of that state's adults will be obese by 2030; that would be an astounding increase from Mississippi's current 35 per cent obesity rate.
The new projections were released Tuesday by Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The two organizations regularly report on obesity to raise awareness, and they rely on government figures.
But in this case, their dismal forecast goes beyond the 42 per cent national obesity level that federal health officials project by 2030.
About two-thirds of Americans are overweight now. That includes those who are obese, a group that accounts for about 36 per cent. Obesity rates have been holding steady in recent years.
Trust for America's Health officials said the projections were based on state-by-state surveys by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 1999 through 2010. They said their projections are reasonable.
But their outlook suggests that even in the thinnest state — Colorado, where about one-fifth of residents are obese — 45 per cent are predicted to be obese by 2030.
Perhaps more surprising — Delaware is expected to have obesity levels nearly as high as Mississippi. Delaware currently is in the middle of the pack when it comes to self-reported obesity rates.
The report didn't detail why some states' rates were expected to jump more than others.
CDC officials declined to comment on the new report.
Whichever estimates you trust most, it's clear that the nation's weight problem is going to continue, escalating the number cases of diabetes, heart disease and stroke, said Jeff Levi, executive director of Trust for America's Health.
By 2030, medical costs from treating obesity-related diseases are likely to increase by $48 billion, to $66 billion per year, his report said.
The focus of so much of the ongoing debate about health care is over controlling costs, Levi said. "... We can only achieve it by addressing obesity. Otherwise, we're just tinkering around the margins."
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Listed are 2011 obesity levels followed by the Trust for America's Health projections for 2030:
Mississippi, 35 per cent, 67 per cent
Oklahoma, 31 per cent, 66 per cent
Delaware, 29 per cent, 65 per cent
Tennessee, 29 per cent, 63 per cent
South Carolina, 31 per cent, 63 per cent
Alabama, 32 per cent, 63 per cent
Kansas, 30 per cent, 62 per cent
Louisiana, 33 per cent, 62 per cent
Missouri, 30 per cent, 62 per cent
Arkansas, 31 per cent, 61 per cent
South Dakota, 28 per cent, 60 per cent
West Virginia, 32 per cent, 60 per cent
Kentucky, 30 per cent, 60 per cent
Ohio, 30 per cent, 60 per cent
Michigan, 31 per cent, 59 per cent
Arizona, 25 per cent, 59 per cent
Maryland, 28 per cent, 59 per cent
Florida, 27 per cent, 59 per cent
North Carolina, 29 per cent, 58 per cent
New Hampshire, 26 per cent, 58 per cent
Texas, 30 per cent, 57 per cent
North Dakota, 28 per cent, 57 per cent
Nebraska, 28 per cent, 57 per cent
Pennsylvania, 29 per cent, 57 per cent
Wyoming, 25 per cent, 57 per cent
Wisconsin, 28 per cent, 56 per cent
Indiana, 31 per cent, 56 per cent
Washington, 27 per cent, 56 per cent
Maine, 28 per cent, 55 per cent
Minnesota, 26 per cent, 55 per cent
Iowa, 29 per cent, 54 per cent
New Mexico, 26 per cent, 54 per cent
Rhode Island, 25 per cent, 54 per cent
Illinois, 27 per cent, 54 per cent
Georgia, 28 per cent, 54 per cent
Montana, 25 per cent, 54 per cent
Idaho, 27 per cent, 53 per cent
Hawaii, 22 per cent, 52 per cent
New York, 25 per cent, 51 per cent
Virginia, 29 per cent, 50 per cent
Nevada, 25 per cent, 50 per cent
Oregon, 27 per cent, 49 per cent
Massachusetts, 23 per cent, 49 per cent
New Jersey, 24 per cent, 49 per cent
Vermont, 25 per cent, 48 per cent
California, 24 per cent, 47 per cent
Connecticut, 25 per cent, 47 per cent
Utah, 24 per cent, 46 per cent
Alaska, 27 per cent, 46 per cent
Colorado, 21 per cent, 45 per cent
District of Columbia, 24 per cent, 33 per cent
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Online:
Trust for America's Health: http://healthyamericans.org/
© The Canadian Press, 2012
18 Sep, 2012
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Source:
http://www.globalnews.ca/Health/group+predicts+more+than+half+in++states+will+be+obese+by+2030+higher+than+govt+forecast/6442717218/story.html--
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