Arkansas was the only state in the nation that saw its obesity rate rise in 2012.
A new report from the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) finds most states have managed to keep their adult obesity rates level. Considering the sheer number of obese Americans, that might seem like a small victory. But, “F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2013” notes it is an improvement over three straight decades of increases.
Arkansas was the only state in the nation that saw its obesity rate rise in 2012. Some 13 states now have adult obesity rates of greater than 30%; 41 states have rates above 25%; and all are above 20%, the report notes. It also offers this sobering comparison: “In 1980, no state was above 15%; in 1991, no state was above 20%; in 2000, no state was above 25%; and, in 2007, only Mississippi was above 30%.”