It is not new to everybody that America has been suffering from obesity problems for a long time. Bodynutrition.org has used the data they have gathered from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop an interactive map.
In just a matter of seconds, those who look at the map can see how quickly the obesity rate has risen over the last 25 years, and will notice that as the years passed by, the map slowly darkens and spread across the 50 states, with the middle of the U.S. having the most observable darkness.
More research revealed that almost 355 of the U.S. adults are said to be clinically obese. In 1990, there were several states in the United States whose rate of obesity skyrocketed to 14%. As we all know, obesity is a complex, varied health dilemma in the U.S., putting people at more risk for diseases of the heart, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and specific types of cancer. And from a health care's point of view, obesity sums up to $147billion in additional yearly costs.
Researchers continue to study what's making the rate go up, from the stomach's microbiomes to how popular fast foods are. The environment can also play a major factor by influencing people what to eat at certain situations, usually junk foods or low-quality food. Until researchers can find a solution to this problem, childhood obesity will continue to rise, only threatening the health of the adults in the next generation.
These are just some of the interesting results of the 2015 state-by-state analysis of public health put out by the United Health Foundation (a charitable arm of a major insurer) and the American Public Health Association.
First published in the 1990, the research is believed to be the longest running state level analysis of public health in the country; and looks at a wide selection of health-related standard, from obesity and cardiovascular disease rates to physical activity, violent crime, insurance rates, air pollution, and poverty. The data was compiled from secondary sources such as government surveys, and placed in a common metric so states can be compared to each other.
