2016's Fattest States in America List Draws Attention to Obesity

A list of 2016’s Fattest States in America compiled by personal finance website WalletHub sheds light on the nation's obesity epidemic.

Mississippi tops the list, which evaluated the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on 17 indicators of weight-related problems, such as percentage of adults and children who are overweight and obese, and sugary-beverage consumption among adolescents, WalletHub reported.

According to a report released last year by JAMA Internal Medicine, more than three quarters of American adults are either overweight or obese, and the number of obese people has surpassed those who are overweight.

Obesity-related medical treatment costs Americans as much as $315.8 billion each year, ValueWalk.com noted.

In recent years, many new programs and products have surfaced to raise awareness of the overweight and obesity issue in America and to encourage people to do something about it.

Despite the recent efforts, new statistics published by the Physical Activity Council suggest that past efforts haven’t been strong or effective enough to turn the momentum on this issue, WalletHub noted.

In 2015, more than 80 million Americans participated in no activities geared toward keeping them active, which has been one of the leading causes of obesity among other things like “genetics, emotional instability and sleeplessness,” the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute noted.

Here is WalletHub's ranking of 2016’s Fattest States in America.

1. Mississippi
2. Louisiana
3. Arkansas
4. Kentucky
5. Tennessee
6. West Virginia
7. South Carolina
8. Alabama
9. Texas
10. Oklahoma
11. Delaware
12. Indiana
13. Arizona
14. North Dakota
15. New Mexico
16. Georgia
17. Michigan
18. Ohio
19. Kansas
20. Missouri
21. North Carolina
22. Iowa
23. Illinois
24. Nebraska
25. Maine
26. Wisconsin
27. Maryland
28. New Hampshire
29. Alaska
30. Florida
31. Pennsylvania
32. District of Columbia
33. Minnesota
34. Nevada
35. South Dakota
36. Virginia
37. Washington
38. Vermont
39. Wyoming
40. Rhode Island
41. New York
42. Idaho
43. Oregon
44. California
45. Montana
46. Connecticut
47. Hawaii
48. Massachusetts
49. New Jersey
50. Colorado
51. Utah

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• Why Sugar, not Fat, is Public Health Enemy No. 1
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