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Date published: 9/19/2012
AP Medical Writer
NEW YORK--We Americans already know how fat we are. Can it get much worse?
Apparently it can, according to an advocacy group that predicts that by 2030 more than half the people in the vast majority of states will be obese.
Mississippi is expected to retain its crown as the fattest state in the nation for at least two more decades. The report predicts 67 percent of that state's adults will be obese by 2030; that would be an astounding increase from Mississippi's current 35 percent obesity rate.
Virginia's current rate is 29 percent, and that would grow to 50 percent, according to the projections.
The new projections were released Tuesday by Trust for America's Health with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Trust for America's Health regularly reports on obesity to raise awareness, mostly relying on government figures.
The group's dismal forecast goes beyond the 42 percent national obesity level that federal health officials project by 2030. The group predicts every state would have rates above 44 percent by that time, although it didn't calculate an overall national average.
About two-thirds of Americans are overweight now. That includes those who are obese, a group that accounts for about 36 percent. Obesity rates have been holding steady in
Trust for America's Health officials said their projections are based in part on state-by-state surveys by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 1999 through 2010. The phone surveys ask residents to self-report their height and weight; people aren't always so accurate about that.
The researchers then looked at other national data tracking residents' weight and measurements, and made adjustments for how much people in each state might fudge the truth about their weight. They also tried to apply recent trends in obesity rates, along with other factors, to make the predictions.
Officials with Trust for America's Health said they believe their projections are reasonable.
And New York City's health commissioner agreed. "If we don't do anything, I think that's a fair prediction," said Dr. Thomas Farley, whose city just banned supersize sugary drinks to curb obesity.