The study, conducted by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, placed Mississippi at the top of the list for obesity rates in the United States, with an average obesity rate of 32.5 percent. Rounding out the top five were Alabama, West Virginia, Tennessee and South Carolina, respectively. Overall, 23 states had increased rates of obesity, and the study authors suggested that the current financial crisis may encourage the trend to continue.
Jeffrey Levi, executive director of the Trust for America's Health, commented on the effect of the financial crisis on American eating habits: "Healthier food is more expensive for the most part, and people tend to turn to convenient fast-food meals that are less expensive but very calorie-dense."
Increasing obesity rates and the aging baby boomer generation mean ballooning health care costs. Mr. Levi commented, "The more obese you are, the more you get complications from these conditions, and that makes them more expensive as well. ... For the most part people who are obese on Medicare don't necessarily live shorter lives, but their health-care costs are higher."
In addition, baby boomers are eclipsing previous generations in obesity rates. In every state, adults between the ages of 55 and 64 have higher obesity rates than adults ages 65 and older. For example, in Alabama 38.7 percent of baby boomers (adults ages 55 to 64) are obese, versus 16.3 percent of adults over age 65.
(Source: www.nasdaq.com)
Labels: obesity
Posted By: Aspen Education Group