Drew Dixon
Should the Free State of Florida rebrand into the Fat Free State of Florida?
A new analysis by U.S. News & World Report shows Florida is ranked among the least obese states in America. U.S. News used data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to determine its rankings, analyzing each state’s obesity rates for the adult population.
About 29.7% of Florida’s population is believed to be obese, according to CDC estimates. Florida had the ninth-lowest rate of obesity among states.
The medical threshold for being “obese” is a body mass index of 30 or above. That is a measure of body fat in comparison to weight and height for a person.
Florida was the only Southern U.S. state to be ranked among the 10 least obese states in the country. Colorado was the least obese state, with a 24.6% obesity rate. Hawaii, Massachusetts, California and New York rounded out the top five.
Florida was immediately preceded by Connecticut in eighth, with a 29.2% obesity rate. Montana followed Florida in the 10th spot, with a 30.2% obesity rate.
As for the most obese states, Southern states held eight out of the top 10 slots. West Virginia ranked the worst in this metric, with a 41.7% obesity rate. Arkansas came in second, with Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama finishing out the top 5.
Midwestern areas such Iowa at No. 7 and Indiana at No. 9 were the only two states outside of the Sun Belt among the 10 most obese states.
