The obesity epidemic in the U.S. is a major health issue, and it’s getting worse. The current national adult obesity rate is 29.7%, but almost half of adults are projected to be obese, not just overweight, by 2030, according to Harvard researchers estimates published in December 2019 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

While the country as a whole is facing an obesity crisis, the problem is much more pronounced in some states.

West Virginia is the state with the second highest adult obesity rate in the U.S. About 37.8% of adult residents report a body mass index of 30 or greater. High obesity rates can detrimentally affect health.

About 23.6% of adults in West Virginia report being in poor or fair health, the highest share in the U.S. Nationwide, 17.0% of adults report subpar health.

Obesity is a leading risk factor for Type 2 diabetes, and 15.1% of West Virginia residents over the age of 20 have diabetes, the highest share of all states. The diabetes prevalence across the country among the same age group is 10.5%

There are a multitude of social and economic factors that predispose certain populations to higher obesity rates. People with lower incomes are less able to afford proper medical care and healthy lifestyles, which include eating a healthy diet and having easy access to gyms and other options for physical activity.

The median household income in West Virginia is $48,850 a year, the second lowest in the U.S. and $16,862 less than the median across the country of $65,712 a year.

Insufficient sleep, defined as sleeping less than seven hours per night on average, has been shown to be a contributing factor to obesity. Sleep deprivation interferes with the two hormones that control appetite. Lack of sleep can lead to increased levels of ghrelin (increased appetite) and decreased levels of leptin (diminished feeling of fullness), possibly leading to weight gain.

About 42.5% of adults in West Virginia report not getting enough sleep, the second highest share in the U.S. and compared to 35.2% of U.S. adults.

Health experts have pointed to several lifestyle factors that are likely contributing to the excess weight problem among Americans, including a sedentary lifestyle. The physical inactivity rate in West Virginia is 28.0%, the fifth highest in the U.S. Nationwide, 22.7% of adults don’t exercise on a regular basis.

To identify the most obese states, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed health data from the 2021 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute joint program. These are the most obese states in America

 

State	Adult obesity rate	Pop. Over 20 with diabetes	Adults in poor or fair health	Adults who don’t exercise regularly	Median household income a year
Mississippi	39.1%	14.6%	22.1%	30.4%	45,792
West Virginia	37.8%	15.1%	23.6%	28.0%	48,850
Louisiana	36.3%	13.0%	21.4%	28.0%	51,073
Alabama	36.1%	14.5%	21.4%	29.3%	51,734
Arkansas	35.0%	13.5%	23.3%	30.4%	48,952
Kentucky	34.6%	12.7%	21.8%	28.7%	52,295
Oklahoma	34.5%	12.3%	20.9%	27.8%	54,449
Iowa	34.3%	9.9%	13.5%	22.6%	61,691
South Carolina	34.0%	13.3%	17.8%	26.0%	56,227
Indiana	33.9%	12.1%	18.2%	26.7%	57,603
North Dakota	33.9%	9.4%	13.6%	23.1%	64,577
Ohio	33.5%	12.2%	17.8%	26.1%	58,642
Nebraska	33.4%	10.0%	13.8%	22.7%	63,229
Tennessee	33.3%	12.5%	21.2%	27.2%	56,071
Kansas	33.0%	10.5%	16.3%	23.9%	62,087
Missouri	32.5%	11.4%	19.5%	25.5%	57,409
Michigan	32.4%	11.0%	18.3%	23.1%	59,584
Delaware	32.4%	11.8%	16.3%	27.3%	70,176
South Dakota	32.4%	10.1%	13.4%	22.0%	59,533
North Carolina	32.3%	11.5%	18.0%	23.3%	57,341
Georgia	32.3%	12.0%	18.4%	26.4%	61,980
Alaska	31.9%	8.3%	15.6%	19.3%	75,463
Wisconsin	31.7%	9.5%	14.8%	20.3%	64,168
Maryland	31.6%	11.1%	15.2%	21.9%	86,738
Texas	31.4%	10.2%	18.7%	23.2%	64,034
Pennsylvania	30.8%	11.0%	17.6%	22.0%	63,463
Virginia	30.5%	10.7%	16.6%	22.2%	76,456
Maine	29.8%	10.4%	17.1%	20.8%	58,924
Illinois	29.7%	9.9%	15.9%	21.6%	69,187
Oregon	29.3%	9.7%	18.2%	17.3%	67,058
Wyoming	29.2%	9.0%	15.3%	23.1%	65,003
Idaho	29.0%	9.3%	15.1%	20.4%	60,999
Minnesota	29.0%	8.5%	12.9%	19.6%	74,593
Washington	28.6%	9.3%	15.0%	16.4%	78,687
New Hampshire	28.6%	9.6%	12.8%	20.8%	77,933
Rhode Island	28.5%	10.1%	16.5%	23.5%	71,169
Arizona	27.9%	9.6%	18.6%	21.2%	62,055
New Mexico	27.3%	9.5%	20.3%	19.0%	51,945
Florida	27.2%	10.8%	19.5%	25.8%	59,227
Montana	27.1%	8.9%	14.1%	21.7%	57,153
Nevada	27.1%	10.5%	19.1%	22.5%	63,276
Vermont	27.0%	8.8%	12.8%	18.4%	63,001
Utah	27.0%	7.5%	14.8%	16.7%	75,780
New Jersey	27.0%	9.9%	15.5%	26.6%	85,751
New York	26.4%	10.1%	16.3%	23.4%	72,108
Connecticut	26.3%	9.2%	13.0%	19.9%	78,833
Massachusetts	25.0%	8.7%	13.5%	20.0%	85,843
Hawaii	24.6%	11.1%	15.4%	19.6%	83,102
California	24.3%	8.8%	17.6%	17.7%	80,440
Colorado	22.4%	6.6%	13.8%	14.8%	77,127

 

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