State obesity rates are stabilizing, report finds

September 21, 2015
by Lydia Wheeler
The Hill

The report released by the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation said the average American is more than 24 pounds heavier today than in 1960.

Of the 25 states with the highest rates of obesity, 23 are in the South and Midwest with Arkansas, West Virginia and Mississippi exceeding 35 percent. Obesity in the report is defined as an excessively high amount of body fat in relation to lean body mass. An adult with a body mass index – or measurement of body fat based on height and weight – that’s 30 or more is considered to be obese.

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