Children mimic their parent’s lifestyle and many times it’s the bad habits that lead to these increasing obesity rates. According to a new report, for the first time in the last 10 years, adult obesity rates has decreased in four states—Minnesota, Montana, New York and Ohio, but for the rest of the country there’s still a lot of work to be done. Childhood obesity is also high, at around 17% nationwide.
The report from the State of Obesity, Better Policies for a Healthier America tracked obesity rates across the country in every state. On average about 50% of states have an obesity rate of 30% or higher, while as a whole country every state has at least a 20% obesity rate. Louisiana has the highest obesity rate at 36.2%, while Colorado has the lowest at 20.2%.
There is some evidence that the rate of increase of adult obesity has been slowing down over the last 10 years and the report suggests that there needs to be more of this:
- Obesity prevention programs
- Focus on early childhood policies and programs
- School-based policies and programs, healthy eating
- More access to bike paths and green spaces
- Healthcare that covers obesity prevention
