Some good news on obesity — but with major caveats
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The number of U.S. states with adult obesity rates at or above 35% dropped slightly in 2024 compared to a year prior, a new report finds, yet remains far higher than just a decade ago.
Why it matters: Obesity is tied to several health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, COVID-19 complications and more.
- Studies have also linked obesity to hundreds of billions of dollars in increased annual medical costs.
Driving the news: Nineteen states have adult obesity rates at or above 35% as of 2024, per a new "State of Obesity" report from the nonprofit, nonpartisan Trust for America's Health (TFAH).
- That's a drop from 23 states the year before — and the first decrease since states began hitting the 35% mark in 2013, the group says.
Yes, but: Back in 2014, only three states had obesity rates at or above 35%.
Zoom in: Adult obesity rates increased notably in several states between 2019 and 2024, including Oregon (+16%), Nevada (+12%) and South Dakota (+12%).
- West Virginia (41.4%), Mississippi (40.4%) and Louisiana (39.2%) had the highest obesity rates overall in 2024.
Stunning stat: No state had an obesity rate under 25% for the first time since 2011, when the data begins.
How it works: TFAH's state-by-state analysis is based on data from the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a longtime telephone survey used to track Americans' health habits and outcomes.
Between the lines: Obesity is tied to certain socioeconomic factors.
- Black and Hispanic Americans have higher rates compared to other groups, for example, while obesity is more prevalent in low-income households compared to high-income households.
The big picture: The nationwide obesity rate is stalling or even declining, per separate data, possibly thanks to new anti-obesity drugs.
- The success of those drugs is fueling calls to change how we talk about weight, Axios' Tina Reed reports.
- Medical experts are also rethinking body mass index (BMI), a metric long used when diagnosing obesity but increasingly seen as flawed.
What they're saying: The Trump administration has centered personal health under the "Make America Healthy Again" banner, yet has made big financial and staffing cuts to agencies and programs that work on obesity, chronic disease and related issues, TFAH's report points out.
- Any recent progress on adult obesity is "at risk due in part to recent federal actions to claw back and reduce funding for public health programs, eliminate programs and lay off experts that work on chronic disease prevention, and limit access to nutrition supports," the group said in a statement.
What's next: TFAH is calling on Congress to undo cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, commonly referred to as "food stamps"), boost access to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), fund healthier school lunches and physical education programs, and more.
- "It is vital that government and other sectors invest in — not cut — proven programs that support good nutrition and physical activity and ensure they reach all communities," TFAH president and CEO J. Nadine Gracia said in the statement.
Go deeper: Worldwide obesity tops 1 billion
