How fat is your state?

[I love puppies!]

Mississippi is No. 1!!!!!

A ranking of the fattest states has Miss. No. 1 and Colo. as the fittest state.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-sci-obesity28aug28,1,1925074.story?coll=la-news-a_section


This is the most unbelievably sad part of the whole story:

Mississippi this year became the first state to have more than 30% of its residents classified as obese; 47 states are above 20%. Fifteen years ago, no state was above 15%, according to officials from the Trust for America's Health, a nonprofit group that prepared the report using federal statistics obtained through telephone interviews.

Just 15 years ago, no state was above 15%!!! That's amazing.

1. Mississippi 30.6% (+/- 0.9)
2. West Virginia 29.8% (+/- 1.0)
3. Alabama 29.4% (+/- 1.2)
4. Louisiana 28.2% (+/- 0.9)
5. South Carolina 27.8% (+/- 0.7)
5. Tennessee 27.8% (+/- 1.2)
The leanest six were:

51. Colorado 17.6% (+/- 0.7)
50. Massachusetts 19.8% (+/- 0.7)
49. Vermont 20.0% (+/- 0.6)
47. Connecticut 20.1% (+/- 0.7)
47. Hawaii 20.1% (+/- 1.0)
46. Rhode Island 20.5% (+/- 0.9)


Other key findings of the report included:

22% of American adults report that they do not engage in any physical activity. The most sluggish citizens are in Mississippi, with 31.6% reporting no exercise, compared with 15.4% of Minnesotans, the most active Americans.

 

[Ace]

My state is not fat! It's just stocky.

 

[friend of a friend]

We're big-boned

 

[Ace]

I never liked those waifer-thin, anorexic states anyway. I like a state with a little meat on its bones.

 

[andyouare?]

Other key findings of the report included:

22% of American adults report that they do not engage in any physical activity. The most sluggish citizens are in Mississippi, with 31.6% reporting no exercise, compared with 15.4% of Minnesotans, the most active Americans.

No fair! People in Minnesota have to shovel snow 300 days out of the year. Us southerners pass the time by sipping mint juleps on the porch.

 

[Mmac]

Strikes me as kinda counterintuitive how the most obese states are always southern states and the most fit usually northern. Seems like warmer weather would mean being active outside more, sweating more, losing weight more -- but that's obviously not how it works. Must be a cultural thing.

 

[Ace]

Strikes me as kinda counterintuitive how the most obese states are always southern states and the most fit usually northern. Seems like warmer weather would mean being active outside more, sweating more, losing weight more -- but that's obviously not how it works. Must be a cultural thing.

Like Moon Pies and RC Colers?

 

[SixToe]

Rural Southern poverty = bad food = little motivation = obesity

I see where Alabama is ranked third. A year ago the state tourism department had a big push about "The Year of Food."

Nice. Maybe soon they will have "The Year of Fat Asses and Heart Disease."

 

[playthrough]

We're No. 9!

And damn right there's something to be said for shoveling snow as a workout.

 

[KG]

My state is surrounded by the top ones. I'm surprised it's not in it too.

 

[Captain_Kirk]

Clearly a Northeast bias in whoever put this shoddy report together.

Vermont, Connecticut and Rhode Island in the top 5. Does anyone even live in those states?

And the per usual shots at the south in Mississippi, Bama and Louisiana.

If you conduct a detailed analysis of the data, I'm certain this northern bias would surface.

Now, pass the fried chicken.

 

[More hideous than Ben Seaver]

The food doesn't help. Southerners love friend food, and they love making a big deal out of food. You can't cover an event out here without there being an elaborate spread.

Plus, much of what they serve in the South is delicious. So it's not surprising that so many people in the South have weight problems.

 

[SixToe]

Plus, much of what they serve in the South is delicious.

Winner, winner chicken dinner.

Please pass the mac-n-cheese, rice with gravy, biscuits, jelly, butter, sweet tea, sugar (because the tea isn't sweet enough) and some of cornbread.

 

[Mystery_Meat]

You'd expect Massachusetts, with all its lobstah rolls, to not be next-to-last. But I'm guessing there's a higher incidence of vegans up there to counterbalance that. Damned Seven Sisters liberals ...

 

[The Big Ragu]

All the jokes aside, buried in one of the graphs:

"Obesity costs $117 billion a year in preventable healthcare expenditures and "is pushing the healthcare system to the breaking point," Marks said."

Might this have ANYTHING to do with the fact that health care costs have skyrocketed over the last few decades, and even though everyone wants the unrealistic--universal, unlimited health care that gives everything to everyone--we could get way closer to that goal if people took some personal responsibility instead of wanting a magical government solution that creates billions of dollars out of thin air to pay for it?

 

[playthrough]

If all the preventable healthcare expenditures were, indeed, prevented, wouldn't the healthcare system also go broke and not be there for our unpreventable expenditures?

 

[Ace]

All the jokes aside, buried in one of the graphs:

"Obesity costs $117 billion a year in preventable healthcare expenditures and "is pushing the healthcare system to the breaking point," Marks said."

Might this have ANYTHING to do with the fact that health care costs have skyrocketed over the last few decades, and even though everyone wants the unrealistic--universal, unlimited health care that gives everything to everyone--we could get way closer to that goal if people took some personal responsibility instead of wanting a magical government solution that creates billions of dollars out of thin air to pay for it?

Eh. Give me everything and I'll be fat and happy.

 

[KG]

Might this have ANYTHING to do with the fact that health care costs have skyrocketed over the last few decades,

No ****. Without insurance it's $100 to spend five minutes with a doctor who then prescribes you $200 worth of meds.

 

[StaggerLee]

Louisiana is number 4 or something, but I think that whole obesity epidemic is stupid. Sure, there are a ton of overweight people in this country, but using that stupid-ass BMI (body mass index) to determine overweightness/obesity is flat out ridiculous. Need proof? I give you a few examples via the New Orleans Saints football roster and their respective BMI:

key - BMI of 18.5 or lower is underweight
BMI of 18.5-24.9 is normal weight
BMI of 25.0-29.9 is overweight
BMI of 30 or higher is obese

Kicker Olindo Mare (5-11, 190) -- BMI of 26.5 (overweight)
QB Drew Brees (6-0, 209) -- BMI of 28.3 (overweight, bordering obese)
WR Marques Colston (6-4, 231) -- BMI of 28.1 (overweight)
RB Reggie Bush (6-0, 203) -- BMI of 27.5 (overweight)
RB Deuce McAllister (6-1, 232) -- BMI of 30.2 (OBESE)
FB Mike Karney (5-11, 258) -- BMI of 36 (OBESE)
LB Mark Simoneau (6-0, 245) -- BMI of 33.2 (OBESE)
LB Dhani Jones (6-1, 240) -- BMI of 31.7 (OBESE)

Now, notice I didn't even include any linemen, because if Reggie Bush is overweight and Deuce is obese, then what the hell do you think Charles Grant or Hollis Thomas is?

There may be a problem in this country with people not being healthy, but using BMI to determine what percentage of the population is overweight/obese skews things.

 

[MileHigh]

Skinniest!