Montana bagged the title of the least obese state in the U.S in 2013 and Mississippi showed the highest obesity rates last year, according to a new poll conducted recently.
It is no secret that obesity is a growing problem in the United States. According to a CDC report, obesity rates have increased dramatically in the last decade. Currently 35.7 percent of U.S. adults and 17 percent of children are obese. A new poll conducted by Gallup-Healthways looked at which states in the country had the most and the least obesity rates last year.
According to the poll, Montana bagged the title of the least obese state in the U.S in 2013. The obesity rate in the state was only 19.6 percent. Montana managed to dethrone Colorado, the state that had the lowest obesity rate for three years running.
Mississippi had an obesity rate of 35.4 percent, making it the most obese state. This state has been featuring in the list of top 10 most obese states since 2008. From 2010 to 2012, West Virginia ranked as the most obese state.
The report also revealed that the national obesity rate rose again last year, from 26.2 percent in 2012 to 27.1 percent in 2013. Consequently, people living in the top 10 most obese states also had higher rates of chronic diseases. 35.8 percent of them had high blood pressure, compared with 26.4 percent of Americans living in the least obese states.
People living in the top 10 lowest obese states reportedly had higher rates of healthy eating and exercise habits. 66.7 percent of such people admitted to eating healthily everyday compared to 60.8 percent of people in the 10 most obese states.
"Research has shown that the average health care costs for an obese individual are over $1,300 more annually than [for] someone who is not obese," Dr. James E. Pope, chief science officer at Healthways said, according to Live Science. "Although slowing, and even reversing, this trend may seem daunting, even modest weight loss of 5 percent to 10 percent of initial body weight can lower the health risks associated with obesity."
Information for the poll was collected through telephone interviews conducted as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index survey between Jan. 2 and Dec. 29, 2013, It comprised of a random sample of 178,072 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
Click here to see a full list of the least and most obese U.S. states.