Mississippi the fattest U.S. state, again

WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- Mississippi, for the fifth straight year, had the highest U.S. rate of adult obesity at 32.5 percent, officials of two non-profit groups said.

"F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in America 2009," a report released by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, said that following Mississippi, West Virginia had 31.2 percent obese adults, Alabama was at 31.1 percent and Tennessee at 30.2 percent.

In addition, the percentage of obese and overweight children is at or above 30 percent in 30 states.

"Our healthcare costs have grown along with our waist lines," Jeff Levi, executive director of TFAH, said in a statement. "The obesity epidemic is a big contributor to the skyrocketing healthcare costs in the United States."

Colorado had the lowest percentage of obese adults at 18.9 percent, followed by: Massachusetts at 21.2 percent, Connecticut at 21.3 percent, Rhode Island at 21.7 percent and Hawaii at 21.8 percent.

Mississippi also had the highest rate of obese and overweight children ages 10-17 at 44.4 percent. Eight of the 10 states with the highest rates of obese and overweight children are in the South. Minnesota and Utah had the lowest rate of obese and overweight children at 23.1 percent.

Childhood obesity rates have more than tripled since 1980, the report said.