One-third of La. adults obese

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that 33% of Louisiana adults are obese. While CDC officials wouldn’t quantify how Louisiana fared in a comparison of state rates because the numbers were so close, they did note it was one of nine states with an adult obesity rate of 30% or more in 2009. The other states in that group are: Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Mississippi, the highest at 34%. No state met a national goal for 2010 of limiting obesity to 15%. Only Colorado and the District of Columbia are lower than 20%, and just barely. Colorado’s rate of about 19% may be due in part to its hiking trails and recreational culture. Another factor may be its Rocky Mountain altitudes, which require people to burn more energy to do routine physical activities. Washington’s rate, just below 20%, could be tied to common use of public transportation there or to higher rates of breastfeeding and of fruit and vegetable consumption. The CDC report puts the U.S. obesity rate at nearly 27% and rising. Experts believe that percentage is probably an underestimate because it’s based on what people say about their own weight. People tend to say they weigh less than they actually do and say they are taller than they are.