CDC: More than one in three Louisianans are obese

Chew on this as you head out to lunch this afternoon: More than one in three Louisianans are now obese, and the state trails only Mississippi for the title of the fattest state in the nation. According to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 33.4% of Louisiana residents are obese: that is, they have a Body Mass Index measuring 30 or above. The figures are from 2011 statistics, which show obesity is rising in the state. In 2010, Louisiana’s obesity rate was 31%, according to CDC figures. Colorado is the leanest state by the CDC’s measure, even though slightly more than one in five of its residents (20.7% to be exact) are obese. On the other end of the scale, Mississippi’s obesity rate is 34.9%. Nationwide, 39 states have obesity rates of 25% or more, and a dozen have rates of 30% or more. The South has the highest prevalence of obesity (29.5%), followed by the Midwest (29%), the Northeast (25.3%), and the West (24.3%). You can check out all the CDC’s statistics and reports on obesity here.