In 2023, nearly a fourth of all states had adult obesity rates at or above 35%. That's since dropped to 19 states, mostly concentrated in the south and midwest. But Kentucky, which has long struggled to improve health stats, remains above that threshold at just over 37%.
Even the states that improved their rates could be in danger of seeing that progress slip, with federal staff and programs that address chronic disease being cut.
A CDC report last year that found that obesity affected about 40% of the population overall.
Before 2013, no state had an adult obesity prevalence at or above 35%. By 2019, however, 12 states had rates that high — and the number continued to climb.
Obesity is a chronic disease linked to a host of serious health problems including diabetes, stroke, cancer, and heart disease.