F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2010

New Report: Illinois Ranks 26th Most Obese State in the Nation

Washington, D.C. June 29, 2010 – Illinois was named the 26th most obese state in the country, according to the seventh annual F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2010 report from the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The state’s adult obesity rate is 26.6 percent, and, in Illinois men are more obese than women at 27.8 percent. Now more than two-thirds of states (38) have adult obesity rates above 25 percent.

The report highlights troubling racial and ethnic disparities in obesity rates. For instance, adult obesity rates for Blacks and Latinos were higher than for Whites in at least 40 states and the District of Columbia. In Illinois, the adult obesity rate was 35.5 percent among Blacks and 30.6 percent among Latinos, compared with 25.3 percent among Whites.

In addition, the report shows regional and income disparities in the obesity epidemic. For example, 10 out of the 11 states with the highest rates of obesity were in the South with Mississippi weighing in with highest rates for all adults (33.8 percent) for the sixth year in a row. More than a third (35.3 percent) of adults earning less than $15,000 per year were obese compared with roughly a quarter (24.5 percent) of adults earning $50,000 or more per year.

“Obesity is one of the biggest public health challenges the country has ever faced, and troubling disparities exist based on race, ethnicity, region and income,” said Jeffrey Levi, PhD, Executive Director of TFAH. “This report shows that the country has taken bold steps to address the obesity crisis in recent years, but the nation’s response has yet to fully match the magnitude of the problem. Millions of Americans still face barriers – like the high cost of healthy foods and lack of access to safe places to be physically active – that make healthy choices challenging.”

Obesity rates among youths ages 10-17 from the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) also were included in the 2009 F as in Fat report; 20.7 percent of children were obese in the state, with the state ranking fourth out of the 50 states and D.C. for childhood obesity. Data collection for the next NSCH will begin in 2011. Currently, more than 12 million children and adolescents in the United States are considered obese.

The report also included the results of a new poll on childhood obesity conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and American Viewpoint. The poll shows that 80 percent of Americans recognize that childhood obesity is a significant and growing challenge for the country, and 50 percent of Americans believe childhood obesity is such an important issue that we need to invest more to prevent it immediately. The survey also found that 84 percent of parents believe their children are at a healthy weight, but research shows nearly one-third of children and teens are obese or overweight.

“Obesity rates among the current generation of young people are unacceptably high and a very serious problem,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., RWJF President and CEO. “To reverse this national epidemic, we have to make every community a healthy community. Americans are increasingly ready and willing to make that investment.”

Additional key findings include:

Adult obesity rates for Blacks topped 40 percent in nine states, 35 percent in 34 states, and 30 percent in 43 states and D.C.
Rates of adult obesity for Latinos were above 35 percent in two states (North Dakota and Tennessee) and at 30 percent and above in 19 states.
Ten of the 11 states with the highest rates of diabetes are in the South, as are the 10 states with the highest rates of hypertension.
No state had rates of adult obesity above 35 percent for Whites. Only one state – West Virginia – had an adult obesity rate for Whites greater than 30 percent.
The number of states where adult obesity rates exceed 30 percent doubled in the past year, from four to eight – Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia.
Northeastern and Western states had the lowest adult obesity rates; Colorado remained the lowest at 19.1 percent.

The report found that the federal government and many states are undertaking a wide range of policy initiatives to address the obesity crisis. Some key findings include:

At the state level:

Illinois has not set nutritional standards for school lunches, breakfasts, and snacks that are stricter than current United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requirements. Twenty states and D.C. have set such standards. Five years ago, only four states had legislation requiring stricter standards
Illinois has nutritional standards for competitive foods sold in schools on á la carte lines, in vending machines, in school stores, or through school bake sales. Twenty-eight states and D.C. have nutritional standards for competitive foods. Five years ago, only six states had such standards.
Illinois has passed requirements for body mass index (BMI) screenings of children and adolescents or legislation requiring other forms of weight-related assessments in schools. Twenty states have passed such requirements for BMI screenings. Five years ago, only four states had passed screening requirements.
Illinois has passed Complete Streets legislation, which aims to ensure that all users — pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities — have safe access to a community’s streets. Thirteen states have passed Complete Streets legislation.

And at the federal level:

The new health reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, has the potential to address the obesity epidemic through a number of prevention and wellness provisions, expand coverage to millions of uninsured Americans, and create a reliable funding stream through the creation of the Prevention and Public Health Fund;
Community Transformation grants have the potential to help leverage the success of existing evidence-based disease prevention programs;
President Barack Obama created a White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity, which issued a new national obesity strategy that contained concrete measures and roles for every agency in the federal government; and
First Lady Michelle Obama launched the “Let’s Move” initiative to solve childhood obesity within a generation.

To enhance the prevention of obesity and related diseases, TFAH and RWJF provide a list of recommended actions in the report. Some key policy recommendations include:

Support obesity- and disease-prevention programs through the new health reform law’s Prevention and Public Health Fund, which provides $15 billion in mandatory appropriations for public health and prevention programs over the next 10 years.
Align federal policies and legislation with the goals of the forthcoming National Prevention and Health Promotion Strategy. Opportunities to do this can be found through key pieces of federal legislation that are up for reauthorization in the next few years, including the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act; the Elementary and Secondary Education Act; and the Surface Transportation Authorization Act.
Expand the commitment to community-based prevention programs initiated under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 through new provisions in the health reform law, such as Community Transformation grants and the National Diabetes Prevention Program.
Continue to invest in research and evaluation on nutrition, physical activity, obesity and obesity-related health outcomes and associated interventions.

STATE-BY-STATE ADULT OBESITY RANKINGS

Note: 1 = Highest rate of adult obesity, 51 = lowest rate of adult obesity. Rankings are based on combining three years of data (2007-2009) from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to “stabilize” data for comparison purposes. This methodology, recommended by the CDC, compensates for any potential anomalies or usual changes due to the specific sample in any given year in any given state. States with statistically significant (p<0.05) increases for one year are noted with an asterisk (*), states with statistically significant increases for two years in a row are noted with two asterisks (**), states with statistically significant increases for three years in a row are noted with three asterisks (***). Additional information about methodologies and confidence intervals is available in the report. Individuals with a body mass index (BMI) (a calculation based on weight and height ratios) of 30 or higher are considered obese.

1.Mississippi*** (33.8%); 2. (tie) Alabama (31.6%); and Tennessee*** (31.6%); 4. West Virginia (31.3%); 5. Louisiana* (31.2%); 6.Oklahoma*** (30.6%); 7. Kentucky* (30.5%); 8. Arkansas* (30.1%); 9. South Carolina (29.9%); 10. (tie) Michigan (29.4%); and North Carolina*** (29.4%); 12. Missouri* (29.3%); 13. (tie) Ohio (29.0%); and Texas* (29.0%); 15. South Dakota*** (28.5%); 16. Kansas*** (28.2%); 17. (tie) Georgia (28.1%); Indiana* (28.1%); and Pennsylvania*** (28.1%); 20. Delaware (27.9%); 21. North Dakota** (27.7%); 22. Iowa* (27.6%); 23. Nebraska (27.3%); 24. (tie) Alaska (26.9%); and Wisconsin (26.9%); 26. (tie) Illinois* (26.6%); and Maryland (26.6%); 28. Washington*** (26.3%); 29. (tie) Arizona (25.8%); and Maine** (25.8%); 31. Nevada (25.6%); 32. (tie) Minnesota (25.5%); New Mexico*** (25.5%); and Virginia (25.5%); 35. New Hampshire* (25.4%); 36. (tie) Florida** (25.1%); Idaho (25.1%); and New York (25.1%); 39. (tie) Oregon (25.0%); and Wyoming (25.0%); 41. California* (24.4%); 42. New Jersey (23.9%); 43. Montana*** (23.5%); 44. Utah* (23.2%); 45. Rhode Island* (22.9%); 46. Vermont*** (22.8%); 47. Hawaii** (22.6%); 48. Massachusetts* (21.7%); 49. District of Columbia. (21.5%); 50. Connecticut (21.4%); 51. Colorado (19.1%)

STATE-BY-STATE ADULT OBESITY RANKINGS FOR BLACKS

1. Wisconsin (44.0%); 2. Mississippi (42.9%); 3. Kentucky (42.6%); 4. Kansas (41.9%); 5. Alabama (41.7%); 6. (tie) Tennessee (41.1%); and North Carolina (41.1%); 8. Ohio (40.9%); 9. Delaware (40.6%); 10. Arkansas (39.8%); 11. South Carolina (39.4%); 12. Louisiana (38.7%); 13. (tie) Missouri (38.4%); Pennsylvania (38.4%); and Oregon (38.4%); 16. Michigan (38.2%); 17. Wyoming (37.9%); 18. Texas (37.6%); 19. Idaho (37.3%); 20. (tie) West Virginia (37.2%); and Maine (37.2%); 22. (tie) California (37.1%); and Oklahoma (37.1%); 24. Nebraska (37.0%); 25. Georgia (36.5%); 26. New Mexico (36.4%); 27. (tie) Florida (36.3%); and Maryland (36.3%); 29. New Jersey (36.1%); 30. Indiana (35.9%); 31. Alaska (35.7%); 32. Illinois (35.5%); 33. (tie) Connecticut (35.4%); and Virginia (35.4%); 35. Utah (34.5%); 36. District of Columbia (34.4%); 37. Iowa (34.1%); 38. Arizona (32.5%); 39. Washington (32.2%); 40. North Dakota (31.3%); 41. Rhode Island (30.8%); 42. New York (30.6%); 43. Hawaii (30.4%); 44. Vermont (30.1%); 45. Massachusetts (29.0%); 46. Minnesota (28.6%); 47. Colorado (28.1%); 48. South Dakota (27.5%); 49. New Hampshire (27.2%); 50. Montana (26.2%); 51. Nevada (25.8%)

STATE-BY-STATE ADULT OBESITY RANKINGS FOR LATINOS

1. Tennessee (39.5%); 2. North Dakota (37.4%); 3. (tie) Missouri (34.0%); and Texas (34.0%); 5. (tie) Michigan (33.4%); and Arizona (33.4%); 7. Pennsylvania (33.3%); 8. Alabama (33.2%); 9. Kansas (32.8%); 10. (tie) Ohio (32.5%); and Alaska (32.5%); 12. Louisiana (30.8%); 13. New Mexico (30.7%); 14. Illinois (30.6%); 15. Oklahoma (30.4%); 16. Nebraska (30.3%); 17. (tie) Georgia (30.2%); and California (30.2%); 19. Wyoming (30.0%); 20. Washington (29.9%); 21. Arkansas (29.6%); 22. Iowa (29.4%); 23. Virginia (29.2%); 24. Idaho (29.1%); 25. West Virginia (28.5%); 26. (tie) South Carolina (28.4%); and Nevada (28.4%); 28. New York (28.0%); 29. Kentucky (27.9%); 30. Florida (27.8%); 31. Hawaii (27.7%); 32. Massachusetts (27.1%); 33. Rhode Island (27.0%); 34. (tie) Delaware (26.8%); and Indiana (26.8%); 36. (tie) Minnesota (26.4%); New Hampshire (26.4%); and Connecticut (26.4%); 39. South Dakota (26.2%); 40. North Carolina (25.7%); 41. Mississippi (25.6%); 42. New Jersey (25.4%); 43. Wisconsin (24.9%); 44. Colorado (24.5%); 45. Maryland (24.4%); 46. Oregon (23.7%); 47. Utah (23.6%); 48. Montana (23.2%); 49. Maine (21.0%); 50. Vermont (20.8%); 51. District of Columbia (20.6%)

New Report: Illinois Ranks 26th Most Obese State in the Nation

STATE-BY-STATE ADULT OBESITY RANKINGS

STATE-BY-STATE ADULT OBESITY RANKINGS FOR BLACKS

STATE-BY-STATE ADULT OBESITY RANKINGS FOR LATINOS

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