The prevalence of obesity is rising across the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
The CDC data found that 22 states had a prevalence, or “proportion of adults with a body mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 30”, of obesity above 35 percent in 2022. By comparison, 17 states had an obesity prevalence above 35 percent in 2021.
The data comes from the CDC’s Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System, “an ongoing state-based telephone interview survey conducted by CDC and state health departments,” according to the agency.
“Obesity is a disease caused by many factors, including eating habits, physical activity levels, sleep patterns, genetics, and certain medications. That means there is no one-size-fits-all approach,” Dr Karen Hacker, director of the CDC’s National Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, said in a statement to CNN.
Other findings in the study note differences in US regions and their prevalence of obesity in 2022, with the Midwest having the highest at 35.8 percent, followed by the South at 35.6 percent. The Northeast and West had slightly lower obesity prevalence rates, at 30.5 and 29.5 percent, respectively.
The District of Columbia was the only part of the US with an obesity prevalence of less than 25 per cent in 2022. Three states – Louisiana, Oklahoma and West Virginia – were reported by the agency to have obesity prevalence rates above 40 percent.
