Report: US Obesity Rates Are Ballooning
By Lynne Adkins
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A new report on obesity shows that by 2030, thirteen states could have obesity rates above 60 percent.
The report from the nonprofit, non-partisan Trust For America's Health shows that unless changes are made, obesity rates will continue to rise in every state.
Spokesman Albert Lang says the worst problems are in the South and Midwest.
"We expect obesity rates to rise pretty dramatically for both men and women," he said today. "In Pennsylvania we expect 56.7 percent of the population to be obese, and in New Jersey we expect 48.6 percent."
He says obesity costs billions in health care dollars every year, being linked to heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and other medical issues.
Lang says he hopes these numbers prompt thousands of Americans to reverse the trend and shed some weight. He points out that losing just a little weight could save a lot of money in health care costs.
"New Jersey would save about $1.4 billion. Pennsylvania, with a larger population, would save nearly $25 billion -- and with a five-percent (average) BMI (body mass index) reduction. We're not talking about a lot of weight, just 10-15 pounds in someone who is overweight."
