Survey: By 2030, half in most states will be obese

Article courtesy of Associated Press

We Americans already know how fat we are. Can it get much worse?

Apparently, yes, according to an advocacy group that predicts that, by 2030, more than half the people in the vast majority of states will be obese.

Mississippi is expected to retain, for at least two more decades, its crown as the fattest state in the nation. The report predicts 67 percent of that state’s adults will be obese by 2030; that would be an astounding increase from Mississippi’s current 35 percent obesity rate.

The new projections were released by Trust for America’s Health with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The trust regularly reports on obesity to raise awareness, mostly relying on government figures.

The group’s dismal forecast goes beyond the 42 percent national obesity level that federal health officials project by 2030. The group predicts that every state would have rates above 44 percent by then, although it didn’t calculate an overall national average.

About two-thirds of Americans are overweight now. That includes those who are obese, a group that accounts for about 36 percent. Obesity rates have been holding steady in recent years. Obesity is defined as having a body-mass index of 30 or more, a measure of weight for height.

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