Obesity Rates Climb Across U.S. in 2019; CT Among Nation’s Lowest Levels

Connecticut’s obesity rate – the percentage of adults considered to be obsese – was 27.4% in 2019, ranking 7th lowest in the U.S.

Obesity is a major health concern in the United States, impacting nearly one in three adults. In the 30 years that America’s Health Rankings has been compiling public health information, the prevalence of obesity climbed by more than 170%. In 1990, 11.6% of American adults were obese. That percentage has risen to an average of 31% across the nation, according to the annual rankings, compiled by United Health Foundation.

Better understanding the challenges related to obesity across ages can help policymakers, public health officials and community leaders tailor interventions to address the growing problem, officials point out. America’s Health Rankings finds that nationally, 31.2% of children aged 10 to 17 years are overweight or obese, which is often associated with long-term physical, social and psychological health issues among children and adolescents. It also looks at obesity among women aged 18 to 44 and finds that more than one-quarter (26.7%) have obesity. When it comes to those aged 65 and older, 28.5% of seniors have obesity – the leading cause of early death among this population.

Obesity is one of the leading causes of preventable life-years lost among Americans. Adults who have obesity compared with adults at a healthy weight are more likely to have a decreased quality of life and have an increased risk of developing serious health conditions including: hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke, sleep apnea and breathing problems, some cancers, and mental illness such as depression and anxiety.

While a higher portion of Americans now have obesity than ever before, America’s Health Rankings indicates that it is encouraged by the outstanding work organizations across the country are doing to promote healthy eating and physical activity. However, obesity continues to be identified as a challenge in America’s Health Rankings reports, and more work is still needed to meet the challenge of obesity.

The analysis also found that nationwide the prevalence of obesity among adults is more than three times higher among blacks (39.9%), American Indian/Alaska Natives (39.0%) and Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders (35.2%) than among Asians (11.5%).

According to the data, the states with the lowest obesity levels are Colorado (22.9%), Hawaii (24.9%), New Jersey (25.6%), Massachusetts (25.7%), California (25.8%), and Montana (26.9%), followed by Connecticut.  Rounding out the top ten were Vermont (27.5%), New York (27.6%) and Rhode Island (27.7%).

The states with the highest percentage of the population considered to be obese are Mississippi and West Virginia, at 39.5%.