Report: Obesity rates very high among US adults in 2023

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WASHINGTON — The rate of obesity among US adults was 35% or higher in 23 states in 2023, having increased over several decades, according to a report issued Sept. 12 by Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) called “The State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Better America 2024.”

The annual report, now in its 21st year, found that 28 states experienced statistically significant increases in their obesity rates between 2018 and 2023. Meanwhile, three states (Alaska, Arkansas and Oregon) experienced statistically significant increases in their obesity rates between 2022 and 2023.

The report also found that no states experienced statistically significant decreases, but 27 states and the District of Columbia had lower obesity rates in 2023 than in 2022.

In comparison, 2013 was the first year that any state had an adult obesity rate higher than 35%, according to the study.

The states with the highest rates of obesity among adults in 2023 were West Virginia (41.2%), Mississippi (40.1%), Arkansas (40%), Louisiana (39.9%) and Alabama (39.2%).

On the other hand, the states with the lowest rates of adult obesity in 2023 were District of Columbia (23.5%), Colorado (24.9%), Hawaii (26.1%), Massachusetts (27.4%) and California (27.7%).

The report also found that nearly 20% of US children and adolescents between the ages of 2 and 19 are obese, which is more than triple what it was in the mid-1970s.

“As the number of people living with obesity, as well as the rates of obesity-related disease continue to rise, there’s an urgent need for systems level policy responses,” said J. Nadine Gracia, president and chief executive officer of TFAH. “The obesity epidemic is not only about individual behavior; socioeconomic and environmental factors, which are largely beyond any one person’s control have a significant role. Policymakers need to act to address this growing health crisis.”

The report provided evidence-based policy recommendations for federal, state and local officials as well as other stakeholders, including the health care sector and the food industry. The recommendations include:

Increasing federal resources for efforts that reduce obesity-related disparities. Decreasing food and nutrition insecurity while improving the nutritional quality of available foods in every community. Eliminating tax loopholes and business cost deductions for the advertising of unhealthy foods and beverages to children. The full report is available here.

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