Report: 59 Percent Of Floridians Will Be Obese By 2030
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – It's no state secret that Americans have been in a battle with the bulge for several years. But a group campaigning against obesity said Tuesday Americans are losing the battle and things are going to get much worse.
According to the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, by 2030 more than half the people in 39 states will not merely be overweight, but will be obese. Federal health officials predicted a 42 percent national obesity level by 2030.
Roughly two out of three Americans are overweight now, including those who are obese, which makes up 36 percent of the overall total of overweight Americans. But, obesity rates have been holding steady in recent years.
According to the projections, Mississippi will remain the nation's fattest state for at least two more decades. The projections said 67 percent of the state's adults will be obese by 2030, compared to just 35 percent now considered obese.
The Sunshine State didn't fare much better in the projections. Currently, 27 percent of Floridians are considered obese, but by 2030 the state will have 59 percent considered obese.
The state that performed the best, both this year and in 2030, was Colorado, which is projected to have a 45 percent obesity rate by that year. The District of Columbia was the best area with 33 percent.
The projections were based on CDC state-by-state numbers from 1999-2010 combined with data in which residents were actually weighed and measured to come up with a number that includes how much people may bend the truth when reporting their weight.
The report didn't explain why some states' rates were expected to jump more than others. The CDC also declined to comment on the new report.
But the projections estimated that treating obesity-related diseases are likely to increase to $66 billion by 2030.
(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
