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U.S. waistlines continue to grow
The gravy train -- make that the sausage, biscuits and gravy train -- just kept on rolling in most of America last year, with 31 states showing an increase in obesity. Mississippi continued to lead the way. An estimated 29.5 percent of adults there are considered obese. That is an increase of 1.1 percentage points when compared with last year's report, which is compiled by Trust for America's Health, an advocacy group that promotes increased funding for public health programs. Meanwhile, Colorado remains the leanest state. About 16.9 percent of its adults are considered obese. That mark was also up slightly from last year's report, but not enough to be considered statistically significant. The only state that experienced a decrease in the percentage of obese adults last year was Nevada. "Quick fixes and limited government programs have failed to stem the tide," said Dr. Jeff Levi, executive director of the trust, in explaining the rise. Health officials warn that the incidence of obesity in a particular state doesn''t mean it treats the issue less seriously than others. States have different challenges to contend with when it comes to obesity, said Dr. Janet Collins of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Populations are not equal in terms of experiencing these health problems," Collins said. "Low-income populations tend to experience all the health problems we worry about at greater rates." Indeed, the five states with the highest obesity rates -- Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia, Louisiana and Kentucky -- exhibit much higher rates of poverty than the national norm. Meanwhile, the five states with the lowest obesity have less poverty. They are Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont. The leanest states shouldn''t take a whole lot of comfort in their ranking, though, said Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, a former CDC director. "This epidemic is a nationwide epidemic. Some some states are higher, some populations have it higher, but the trend has been up in every state, the trend has been up for every ethnic group, the trend has been up for rich and poor," Koplan said. Website: http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/08/29/obesity.state.ap/index.html HEALTH ARTICLES
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