# We're From The South, And We're Fat: Latest Report on Obesity By State **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 15, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-from-the-south-and-were-fat-latest-report-on-obesity-by-state/546820 "2010-07-15T19:35:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![melodyharmonius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/melodyharmonius/32/21310_2.png) [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-from-the-south-and-were-fat-latest-report-on-obesity-by-state/546820/1 "2010-07-15T19:35:02Z")
Hi, my name is Melody, and I’m fat. [Evidently, so are a lot of other people in the south.](http://health.msn.com/health-topics/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100261061>1=31036) I would attribute it to all the fried food - but I tend to be more of a salad chick myself. Well, except when my boyfriend makes that yummy bacon . . . ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-from-the-south-and-were-fat-latest-report-on-obesity-by-state/546820/2 "2010-07-15T19:45:01Z")
Hey, we only claim 7 or the top 10 spots. W Va (4), , OK (6), KY (7) are not Southern states. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-from-the-south-and-were-fat-latest-report-on-obesity-by-state/546820/3 "2010-07-15T19:52:42Z")
IIRC our nations LEAST obese state today has an obesity rate that is about what our nations MOST obese state had 20/30 years ago. Thats pretty damn bad. Yeah, yeah yeah, nobody can help themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Accident](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Mr.Accident](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Accident)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-from-the-south-and-were-fat-latest-report-on-obesity-by-state/546820/4 "2010-07-15T19:53:38Z")
Heh, Georgia is only #17. I expected we’d be a higher on that list. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-from-the-south-and-were-fat-latest-report-on-obesity-by-state/546820/5 "2010-07-15T19:55:15Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > IIRC our nations LEAST obese state today has an obesity rate that is about what our nations MOST obese state had 20/30 years ago. Cite that the most obese state 20 years ago had an obesity rate around 19%? Not that I’m arguing, I just find that a little surprising. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-from-the-south-and-were-fat-latest-report-on-obesity-by-state/546820/6 "2010-07-15T20:03:18Z")
Hey, Jersey is #42. I guess I’m not as overweight as I thought! ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-from-the-south-and-were-fat-latest-report-on-obesity-by-state/546820/7 "2010-07-15T20:04:41Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > Cite that the most obese state 20 years ago had an obesity rate around 19%? Not that I’m arguing, I just find that a little surprising. If I HAD a cite, I would give it, hence the IIRC instead. And do you find it surprising because you don’t think people (statistically speaking) were that skinny back then or that people were that fat back then? ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-from-the-south-and-were-fat-latest-report-on-obesity-by-state/546820/8 "2010-07-15T20:06:14Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > Hey, Jersey is #42. I guess I’m not as overweight as I thought! Hey, Tony Soprano and crew up there knocking off everbody just skews the numbers unfairly 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-from-the-south-and-were-fat-latest-report-on-obesity-by-state/546820/9 "2010-07-15T20:10:05Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > Cite that the most obese state 20 years ago had an obesity rate around 19%? Not that I’m arguing, I just find that a little surprising. [CDC](http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html). Unfortunately that page doesn’t give the actual numbers for 1985, but going by the trend map, in 2008 only one state is in the 15-19% category with all other states higher, and in 1985 there are _no_ states in the 15-19% category or above. ETA: Granted, there’s a ton of states with No Data, but by 1994 when all states have data, everyone’s still between 10-19%. In 10 years it went up to mostly 20-29%, with a few below that. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-from-the-south-and-were-fat-latest-report-on-obesity-by-state/546820/10 "2010-07-15T20:18:28Z")
Hey, Florida is not too bad. But some would argue that we’re not in “the south”. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-from-the-south-and-were-fat-latest-report-on-obesity-by-state/546820/11 "2010-07-15T20:46:52Z")
It’s all the ex-smokers ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-from-the-south-and-were-fat-latest-report-on-obesity-by-state/546820/12 "2010-07-15T21:15:40Z")
I’m a little confused by the math here. Is it possible that the highest obesity rate for an individual state could be lower than the overall obesity rate for the US? That doesn’t seem right to me. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-from-the-south-and-were-fat-latest-report-on-obesity-by-state/546820/13 "2010-07-15T21:27:53Z")
> [@Electric\_Warrior](#): > > I’m a little confused by the math here. Is it possible that the highest obesity rate for an individual state could be lower than the overall obesity rate for the US? That doesn’t seem right to me. No, that does not make sense to me. Where are you getting that from? ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-from-the-south-and-were-fat-latest-report-on-obesity-by-state/546820/14 "2010-07-15T21:30:33Z")
> [@Electric\_Warrior](#): > > I’m a little confused by the math here. Is it possible that the highest obesity rate for an individual state could be lower than the overall obesity rate for the US? That doesn’t seem right to me. I hate to ask because it sounds snarky, but you are familiar with averages, right? ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-from-the-south-and-were-fat-latest-report-on-obesity-by-state/546820/15 "2010-07-15T22:03:34Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > [CDC](http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html). Unfortunately that page doesn’t give the actual numbers for 1985, but going by the trend map, in 2008 only one state is in the 15-19% category with all other states higher, and in 1985 there are _no_ states in the 15-19% category or above. > > ETA: Granted, there’s a ton of states with No Data, but by 1994 when all states have data, everyone’s still between 10-19%. In 10 years it went up to mostly 20-29%, with a few below that. For comparison Kentucky had an [obesity rate of about 12.2% in 1990.](http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/70343257.html) ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Goliath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rex\_Goliath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Goliath)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-from-the-south-and-were-fat-latest-report-on-obesity-by-state/546820/16 "2010-07-15T22:08:48Z")
Thank god for Mississippi. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-from-the-south-and-were-fat-latest-report-on-obesity-by-state/546820/17 "2010-07-15T22:38:29Z")
> [@Rex\_Goliath](#): > > Thank god for Mississippi. All right, now. We’re trying hard to get out of this spot. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-from-the-south-and-were-fat-latest-report-on-obesity-by-state/546820/18 "2010-07-15T23:12:27Z")
I find it a bit disheartening that NH is #35. That means there are 34 states with more obese people. _Damn_. We’re going to solve the problem by telling parents [how fat](http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2010/01/27/wife_of_nh_governor_backs_obesity_screening/) their schoolkids are. :eyeroll: As silly as it sounds, [this study](http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE55S6TO20090629) suggests that heavy parents may not recognize how fat their kids are, though, so maybe it would be news to some parents… ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-from-the-south-and-were-fat-latest-report-on-obesity-by-state/546820/19 "2010-07-16T02:48:05Z")
> [@Rex\_Goliath](#): > > Thank god for Mississippi. Shut up or I’ll sit on you. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-from-the-south-and-were-fat-latest-report-on-obesity-by-state/546820/20 "2010-07-16T02:57:27Z")
Woohoo, #43. I guess all that hiking, mountain climbing, biking, and skiing does some good, after all. I’m surprised that DC fares so well, though. I would have thought that they’d be on the heavy end. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-from-the-south-and-were-fat-latest-report-on-obesity-by-state/546820.md?page=2)