Obesity Challenging the Nation’s Wellness

Nearly one-fourth of states now are home to high rates of obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show.

• These findings by the CDC indicate the clear challenge to achieving wellness and preventing chronic conditions.
• Obesity means carrying 20 percent or more extra pounds of body weight.
• The CDC report uses data from a 2011 survey.  The database is known as the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
• The latest obesity figures report state-by-state rates.  Another CDC study has found obesity among 36 percent of American adults

To reverse obesity and to promote wellness and prevention, knowing where the problem resides can be useful information.

• Twelve states have populations with the highest levels of obesity.  That’s up from nine states.
• Regionally, 29.5 percent of residents of the South carry too much weight.  In the Midwest, it’s 29 percent.  The Northeast has 25.3 percent obesity, while for the West it’s 24.3 percent.
• Mississippi has the most obese people with a rate of 34.9 percent.  The state with the least obesity is Colorado, with 20.7 percent.
• Thirty percent or more of the adult population in 12 states is obese:  Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and West Virginia.
• The lowest obesity rates are in California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Massachusetts and New Jersey.

Obesity ties in with a greater need of healthcare.  And the added demand for healthcare drives up medical costs.

• People who are obese more often suffer from diabetes, cancer, heart disease and chronic disease.
• Obesity-related medical conditions translate into lower quality of life and higher health costs.
• Weight loss to a healthy level is part of achieving wellness.  Healthy weight relates to higher quality of life and less need of medical care.

While the latest indicators of obesity in the states are troubling, real progress can be made.  More and more wellness and prevention initiatives come on line every day.  Employers increasingly recognize their stake in a healthy workforce.  Healthcare leaders, including several members of the Healthcare Leadership Council, are promote prevention and wellness and initiating innovative approaches, showing direct economic benefits to individuals, employers and the public.