Poverty fuels obesity rates, study finds

from The El Paso Times

By Louie Gilot / El Paso Times

The study on obesity by Trust for America's Health found that lack of physical activity and poverty added to the high rates.

The five poorest states were all in the top 10 when it came to obesity rates. An exception to that rule was the District of Columbia and New Mexico. Both had high poverty rates, but also one of the lower obesity rates among adults.

Poverty can lead to less safe neighborhoods, which deter children from playing. It can lead to fewer grocery stores offering fruits and vegetables, and it can lead to greater reliance on fast food, officials said.


This year's report, for the first time, looked at rates of overweight children ages 10 to 17. The District of Columbia had the highest percentage -- 22.8 percent. Utah had the lowest -- 8.5 percent.

Texas and New Mexico children are worse off than adults in each state. Texas adults ranked 12th in the country and New Mexico adults ranks 42nd, while Texas children, ranked 6th and New Mexico children ranked 10th.

Don Disney, the facilitator of health and physical education for the El Paso Independent School District, said a recent district-wide fitness assessment program called Fitnessgram found that children became less active and gained weight when they moved from elementary school to middle school.

"Inactivity and poor nutrition can be held at bay during elementary school years" but not forever, Disney said.

"We really need parents to encourage physical activity. Be active for at least one hour a day. Do things together as a family. Cut down television time. Cut fast food down to once a week. Make portions smaller. Keep sodas and junk food out of the house. Those are things that make parenting tough," he said.

Not surprisingly, the obesity rates and the lack of physical activity can be linked, according to the new study.

In Texas, where 26.3 percent of adults are obese, 27.4 percent of adults report that they do not participate in any physical activity. In New Mexico, with 22 percent of adults obese, 22.4 percent of adults don't participate in physical activity. The national average is 22 percent.

Meanwhile, Minnesotans led the way when it came to exercise. An estimated 15.4 percent of the state's residents did not engage an any physical exercise -- the best rate in the nation. Still, the state ranked 28th overall when it came to the percentage of obese adults.

Louie Gilot may be reached at lgilot@elpasotimes.com; 546-6131.

The Associated Press contributedto this story.



F as in Fat
State-by-state adult obesity rankings
(1 is highest)
(Data is from 2004 to 2006)
Individuals with a body mass index (a calculation based on weight and height ratios) of 30 or higher are considered obese.

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

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State-by-state overweight youths ages 10-17 rankings
Children with a body mass index at or above the 95th percentile for their age are considered overweight.

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

Source: Trust for America's Health.