Obesity In America: See How Fast Americans Have Gained Weight In The Past 25 Years
America's obesity problem is undeniable — but to drive the point home, bodynutrition.org has used the latest data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to design an interactive map. In mere seconds viewers can see the speed at which the obesity rate has increased over the past 25 years. As the years tick by, the map darkens and spreads across the 50 states, with noticeably darker spots in the middle of the U.S.
Today, nearly 35 percent of U.S. adults are considered clinically obese. In 1990, not one state in the U.S. had an obesity rate greater than 14 percent. Obesity is a complex, multifaceted health dilemma in America, placing people at increased risk for heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. From a health care perspective, obesity adds up to to $147 billion in additional costs each year.
Experts continue to investigate what's driving the rate up, from the stomach's microbiomes to the popularity of fast food. It could also be a matter of environmental cues that drives people to eat more, low-quality food. But until then, childhood obesity rates continue to climb, which only threatens the health of next generation of adults.
Check out the map below.
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