“Exploring the Most Obese Counties in America with an Interactive Map: An Insight into High Obesity Rates”

America’s obesity problem is growing — and it is disproportionately affecting one region of the country. The southern United States is home to 90 of the 100 most obese counties nationwide, and the 15 fattest. Overall, 33.4 percent of American adults have obesity, a CDC report revealed, while separate figures suggest the rates among children are as high as 17 percent. The recent CDC report found the levels had barely risen in 2022 from 33 percent the year before, but experts are expressing more concern over areas of the country where nearly half of the residents are obese. Across the country’s approximately 3,000 counties, a third — or 1,098 — are now registering obesity rates above 40 percent among adults. And in 11 counties, estimates suggest more than half of adults are now obese — a jump from eight counties the year before. The findings come from the CDC’s PLACES, Population Level Analysis and Community Estimates, published this month — which were based on more than 400,000 interviews conducted with a nationally representative group. Of the 11 counties where obesity rates are over 50 percent, six were spread across Mississippi — a state famed for its love of fried Southern food and where access to healthcare is limited. It is also America’s least active state, according to data from Apple Watch, with only 38.5 percent of residents getting the minimum recommended 150 minutes of exercise every week. Another three of the majority-obese counties are in neighboring Alabama, while there is one each in nearby Arkansas and Louisiana. By county, Holmes County in Mississippi was America’s heaviest — with 53 percent of adults estimated to be obese. Jefferson County, also in Mississippi, ranked third at 52 percent, followed by Phillips county in Arkansas, East Carroll County in Louisiana and Claiborne County in Mississippi, all approximately at 51 percent. The obesity problem in Mississippi has been worsening for more than a decade. In 2011, Holmes County natives told NPR that obesity rates had gotten so bad that 10-year-olds had diabetes while 26-year-olds were being struck down with strokes. They said that even the school bus was starting to report overcrowding — and not because of a surge in people. Calvin Head, the county’s former transportation director, said: ‘It was because the kids had gotten so obese. There was no more three to a seat. You could only have, in most cases, two to a seat.’ In America’s most obese states, rates of obesity-linked diseases like heart disease and diabetes tend to be higher than in their slimmer counterparts. Life-expectancy also tends to be lower, with Mississippi having the lowest life expectancy in the country at 71 years. At the other end of the scale, San Francisco county in California was the least obese in America — with just 18 percent of residents estimated to have obesity. Boulder, Colorado was second at nearly 19 percent, and Alameda, California, was third at 19.4 percent. San Francisco and the Bay Area is considered to be one of the most active and healthy cities in the US, with a 2022 analysis ranking California as the healthiest in the nation. In Colorado, residents are very active, partaking in outdoor exercise and activities, such as hiking or skiing. Doctors have repeatedly raised concerns over obesity, warning it puts people at risk of suffering from long-term health issues like heart disease and even cancer. The report comes just after the CDC published separate estimates that showed America is now fatter than ever. Before 2013, no state had an adult obesity prevalence at or above 35 percent, estimates show. But in 2023, the latest date available, 23 states have hit the alarming threshold. A record four states — West Virginia, Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana — now have obesity rates above 40 percent. Karen Hacker, the director of the CDC, said: ‘This new data highlights the need for obesity prevention and treatment options, which start with building healthier communities where people of all ages have safe places for physical activity. ‘And where health care and healthy food options are accessible and affordable for all.’ She added: ‘Obesity prevention at young ages is critical, because we know that children with obesity often become adults with obesity.’ While obesity is plaguing nearly every corner of the country, experts are hoping that the advent of hunger-suppressing drugs like Ozempic should be able to drive America’s obesity epidemic into reverse. But with just a one-month supply priced at about $900 out-of-pocket, it is unlikely the drugs will make an impact where they are needed most.