Obesity

Obesity is the percentage of the population estimated to be obese, defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30.0 or higher. BMI is equal to your weight in pounds divided by your height in inches squared and then multiplied by 703. CDC has a calculator for BMI at http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/calc-bmi.htm.

Obesity is known to contribute to a variety of diseases, including heart disease, diabetes and general poor health. The data are collected by each state as part of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Table 20 displays the 2004 ranks, based on 2003 data (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). The prevalence of obesity ranges from 16.0 percent of the population in Colorado to more than 28 percent of the population in Mississippi and Alabama. The average for the United States is 22.8 percent of the population, up from 22.1 percent of the population in 2003 and under 12 percent of the population in 1990.

In the last year, the prevalence of obesity in Virginia, Massachusetts and South Carolina decreased by more than 1 percent of the population. In Utah and California, the prevalence of obesity increased by more than 3 percent of the population. Since 1990, the prevalence of obesity has increased in all states. It has increased the least in Florida, Wyoming and Massachusetts, where an additional 1 out of 14 people are now obese. It has increased the most in Alabama and Georgia where an additional 1 out of 7 people are now obese.

¹ Source: 2003 data Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention