TEXAS, USA — Nearly 36% of adult Texans are obese as of 2020, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The new CDC study shows that Texas has joined 15 other states in the country with an obesity rate over 35%: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware (also new this year), Indiana, Iowa (also new this year), Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio (also new this year), Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia. The number of states that fit these criteria has nearly doubled since 2018 – up from nine states in 2018 and 12 in 2019.
Every state in the U.S. has an obesity rate of over 20%, the data also showed.
Here is a look at the CDC's obesity prevalence map:
The CDC also has an interactive map that charts obesity data by county. Central Texas counties in KVUE's viewing area along the Interstate 35 corridor – Travis, Hays and Williamson – showed lower obesity rates compared to the rest of the state.
The data included in the study was self-reported in 2020 and came from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
“To change the current course of obesity will take a sustained, comprehensive effort from all parts of society,” the CDC said in a statement released Wednesday. “We will need to acknowledge existing health disparities and health inequities and address the social determinants of health such as poverty and lack of health care access if we are to ensure health equity.”
For a look at the full CDC report, click here.
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