Obese (%)
Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States, with the majority of the population being overweight or obese.1 Poor diet and physical inactivity contribute to the rising rates of people who are overweight or obese,2 and these conditions are the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States after tobacco use and hypertension.3 This epidemic has serious implications for women’s health, since being overweight or obese is associated with a greater risk of developing a variety of serious medical conditions including cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, respiratory problems, some types of cancer, and arthritis.4
What percentage of women are obese?
The Report Card benchmark is the Healthy People 2010 goal of reducing the percentage of adults who are obese to 15 percent (when applied to women) [Healthy People 2010 Objective 19-2].
| State | State Overall Data | State Grade | State Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 31.8 | F | 47 |
| Alaska | 25.6 | F | 20 |
| Arizona | 25.9 | F | 22 |
| Arkansas | 30.3 | F | 40 |
| California | 25.7 | F | 21 |
| Colorado | 19.4 | S- | 1 |
| Connecticut | 20.4 | S- | 3 |
| Delaware | 25.5 | F | 19 |
| District of Columbia | 24.3 | U | 12 |
| Florida | 23.7 | U | 8 |
| Georgia | 27.1 | F | 28 |
| Hawaii | 20.6 | U | 4 |
| Idaho | 24.6 | U | 14 |
| Illinois | 27.4 | F | 30 |
| Indiana | 30.9 | F | 42 |
| Iowa | 27.5 | F | 31 |
| Kansas | 28.2 | F | 35 |
| Kentucky | 30.7 | F | 41 |
| Louisiana | 33.7 | F | 49 |
| Maine | 27.6 | F | 33 |
| Maryland | 29.0 | F | 36 |
| Massachusetts | 19.5 | S- | 2 |
| Michigan | 31.4 | F | 45 |
| Minnesota | 25.1 | F | 17 |
| Mississippi | 36.8 | F | 51 |
| Missouri | 29.8 | F | 38 |
| Montana | 23.9 | U | 10 |
| Nebraska | 26.5 | F | 27 |
| Nevada | 24.2 | U | 11 |
| New Hampshire | 24.4 | U | 13 |
| New Jersey | 23.6 | U | 7 |
| New Mexico | 26.1 | F | 24 |
| New York | 25.2 | F | 18 |
| North Carolina | 30.9 | F | 42 |
| North Dakota | 26.0 | F | 23 |
| Ohio | 29.3 | F | 37 |
| Oklahoma | 31.5 | F | 46 |
| Oregon | 23.5 | U | 6 |
| Pennsylvania | 27.2 | F | 29 |
| Rhode Island | 24.6 | U | 14 |
| South Carolina | 31.0 | F | 44 |
| South Dakota | 27.5 | F | 31 |
| Tennessee | 34.5 | F | 50 |
| Texas | 30.2 | F | 39 |
| Utah | 23.8 | U | 9 |
| Vermont | 21.7 | U | 5 |
| Virginia | 26.3 | F | 26 |
| Washington | 26.2 | F | 25 |
| West Virginia | 32.6 | F | 48 |
| Wisconsin | 27.9 | F | 34 |
| Wyoming | 24.8 | U | 16 |
Data Source: Obese (%), 2009.
EXPLANATION: This measure includes women age 18 and older who have a body mass index (BMI) of 30.0 or greater. Body mass index is a measure that adjusts body weight for height. It is calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.
SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data (BRFSS), 2009, available at http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/brfss/index.asp and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Public Health and Science, Office on Women’s Health. Quick Health Data Online, 2010, Washington, DC, 2010, available at http://www.womenshealth.gov/quickhealthdata. The national overall number and national data by age are the median of 50 states and the District of Columbia. Data for race/ethnicity and age are three-year averages from 2007-2009 and are age-adjusted to the 2000 standard population. Data reported in the 18-44 age group column includes women ages 20-44.
Footnotes
1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “US Obesity Trends. Trends by State 1985-2008,” (Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, November 2009), available at http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html#State
2 National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Weight Control Information Network, “Understanding Adult Obesity,” (Bethesda: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, November, 2008), available at http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/understanding.htm
3 Harvard School of Public Health, “Smoking, High Blood Pressure and Being Overweight Top Three Preventable Causes of Death in the U.S.” April, 2009, available at http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/2009-releases/smoking-hi...
4 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Overweight and Obesity: Health Consequences,” (Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, August 2009), available at http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/causes/health.html
