CalorieLab recently released their list, which ranks US states from fattest to thinnest, for 2008. For the third year running, Mississippi is the fattest state in the nation, with 32.6 % of that state's population coming in overweight or obese. CalorieLab determines the fattest state rankings using the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System database maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rankings use a three-year average in order to correct for statistical irregularities.
Rounding out the top five fattest states are West Virginia, Alabama, Louisiana and South Caroline. They've found that overall the fattest states tend to be in the South and Rust Belt, while Northeastern and Western states are a bit slimmer. The only area to lose weight in the last year is Washington, D.C. Colorado remains the nation's fittest state.
It's disheartening to see that with all the attention given to diet and exercise, these numbers continue to climb. With the cost of food is going up these days, mostly in relation to rising gas prices, the cost of eating healthfully is also increasing. How would you address this issue?
7-28-2008 @11:40AM Grubdude said... Considering the US is the fattest country, this is anice information in case we (US) want to point fingers on bad influence! :)
I guess we will find out HOW fat when Alton Brown does his Feasting on Waves show :-D
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7-28-2008 @1:41PM Tim said... I'm guessing that if we changed farm subsidies and the way food stamps work, we could control obesity. Put simply, it's cheaper to eat unhealthy food that easily metabolizes as fat than it is to eat simple, healthy items that our bodies can handle.
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7-28-2008 @4:32PM Samme said... There are a lot of factors involved in obesity. The number of parks and pedestrian/bike friendly roads, contrasted to the density of fast food restaurants in an area is one. The higher cost of lean meat, veggies, and whole grains as well as the time it takes to cook them are a big turn off for a lot of people. Exercise takes time and energy as well. It is also quite hard to do if you are already heavy. Joint and muscle pains from the first couple workouts are the worst, and cause a lot of people to feel they just can't do it. Also, if a person's friends are heavy it is a lot less likely that they will have the drive needed to bring their own weight down. It isn't impossible, but the odds are heavily against many people.
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