EACH YEAR THE CDC RANKS STATES FOR OBESITY, ACTIVITY, DISEASE RISK, ETC.

WHAT ACCOUNTS FOR SOME CLEAR

DIFFERENCE IN STATE RANKINGS?

Genevieve Fridlund Dunton, Ph.D, MPH

Assistant Professor

Department of Preventive Medicine

University of Southern California

5 MOST OBESE STATES

Mississippi, 35 percent obese Louisiana, 33 percent obese Alabama, 32 percent obese Oklahoma, 31 percent obese Michigan, 31 percent obese

Source: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html

5 LEAST OBESE STATES

California, 24 percent obese New Jersey, 24 percent obese Massachusetts, 23 percent

obese Hawaii, 22 percent obese Colorado, 21 percent obese

Source: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html

WHAT ACCOUNTS FOR SOME DIFFERENCE IN STATE RANKINGS? Racial/Ethnic Disparities: Non-Hispanic

blacks have the highest age-adjusted rates of obesity (49.5%)

Educational Disparities: The obesity rate higher among all non-high school graduates was 32.9%.

Income Disparities: Higher income women are less likely to be obese than low-income women.

Built Environmental Disparities: Obesity rates are lower urban areas with greater population density. Source: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html