States with the best and worst habits in diet and exercise

Many of us have heard that Colorado consistently ranks as the state with the lowest obesity rate. According to the CDC, just 22.6% of the population qualified as obese in 2017.

But don’t pat yourself on the back just yet. An analysis by the online journal Consumer Protect — using data from the CDC — shows that the obesity rate nationwide has double since 1990 when 15% of the population was classified as obese.

Now, the CDC estimates that 30.1% of American adults are obese, as determined by a BMI of 30 or higher. So even though Colorado is the lowest, it’s obesity rate has still risen 7.6% since 1990.

“Obesity is a complex social and personal problem with a variety of causes attributable to social and personal habits,” explains Michael Bennet, the Editor-in Chief of Consumer Protect. “We looked at some of the data showing where obesity is the highest in the country.”

West Virginia, Mississippi, and Oklahoma have the highest obesity rates at 38.1%, 37.3%, and 36.5% respectively. The least obese state is Colorado at 22.6%, while the District of Columbia is second at 23%, and Hawaii is third at 23.8%.

Life expectancy tends to parallel obesity rates. Mississippi has the lowest life expectancy rate at 74.7 years if you were born in 2015, based on data from the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems. Hawaii comes in at number one with 81.3 years, while Colorado ranks a respectable number eight at 80.2 years.

Consumer Protect analyzed two habits that most directly contribute to obesity: exercise and diet. Data from the CDC showed which states engaged in the least physical activity. Kentucky came in at number one with 34.4% of adults reporting that they don’t participate in any sort of exercise. Mississippi again showed up in the top three, coming in at number two with 33.2% of adults not exercising, and Arkansas is number three at 32.5%.

The most active states are Washington, 19.2%, Colorado, 19.5%, and California, 20%. It’s perhaps not surprising that the most active states are known for their natural beauty and national parks. Alaska, Utah, Oregon, and Vermont follow closely behind.

A healthy diet may be a bit more challenging to report accurately because the definition of healthy can vary depending on who you ask and can be fulfilled by a variety of foods. In lieu of a simple yes or no question, the CDC’s data reports the percentage of adults that eat less than one fruit per day. Mississippi has the most unhealthy eating habits with nearly half of all adults, 46.3%, reporting that they eat less than one fruit per day. Oklahoma is 45.8% and Louisiana is 45%.

By contrast, the healthiest eaters are Vermont, 29.7%, New Hampshire, 30.3%, and the District of Columbia, 30.6%. Colorado comes in at 33% making it the 13th healthiest state — also known as the 39th unhealthiest state, as it’s displayed by the rankings.

There are significant overlaps between obesity rankings and exercise and diet. Nearly all states with poor eating habits and poor diet rank highly in the obesity index. One notable outlier is Alaska, which is the 9th most obese state but is 4th in good exercise habits.

But as a general rule, obesity in America is compounded by diet and exercise.

“The levels of obesity seen in West Virginia and the South may soon be everywhere unless further action is done,” explains Bennet.