U.S. survey shows southern counties most obese

The first county-by-county survey of obesity reflects past studies that show the rate of obesity is highest in the Southeast and Appalachia. High rates of obesity and diabetes were reported in more than 80% of counties in the Appalachian region that includes Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia, according to the new research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The same problem was seen in about 75% of counties in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and South Carolina. The five counties with the highest rates were Greene and Dallas counties in Alabama and Holmes, Humphreys and Jefferson counties in Mississippi. All are small, rural counties in the west central areas of each state, and each reported obesity rates of around 44% or 43%. The national adult obesity rate is roughly 26%. East Baton Rouge and Ascension parishes had an obesity rate slightly ahead of the national average at 27.5%, while 29.2% of the Livingston Parish population was reported to be obese. The statistics are estimates for the year 2007 — based on surveys, census figures and other information for that and other years — and include a margin of error. To see the full statistics for Louisiana, click here.