NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that more than seven out of 10 U.S. adults ages 20 and over are either overweight or obese. Even the rate of obesity in children and adolescents has risen in the last few decades. With that in mind, WalletHub recently released a study ranking which U.S. state has the most obese and overweight people.
The study compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across three dimensions: Obesity & Overweight Prevalence, Health Consequences, and Food & Fitness. Each dimension was evaluated over 31 relevant metrics such as amount of overweight adults, the number of adults with high cholesterol, and the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.
New Mexico, unfortunately, made it into the top 20 most obese states at number 17. We ranked as number 11 regarding the prevalence of obesity and being overweight, 41 for health consequences, and 45 for food and fitness. Another aspect of the study looked at percentage of overweight adults and New Mexico had the highest percentage ahead of Alaska, New Jersey, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.
West Virginia came out as the number one most overweight and obese state. They ranked the highest regarding prevalence and health consequences and came in at number 44 when it came to food and fitness.
