Report: R.I. 39th in nation for obesity rate

RHODE ISLAND ranked 39th in the nation for its obesity rate in 2014, according to
RHODE ISLAND ranked 39th in the nation for its obesity rate in 2014, according to "The State of Obesity" report. / COURTESY ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island has the 13th lowest obesity rate in the nation at 27 percent, and while it landed on the lower end of the scale for states, the obesity rate has climbed since 1990 when it was 10.1 percent.
Obesity rates for 2014 were released this week for all 50 states and the District of Columbia by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in their 12th annual “The State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America” report.
Arkansas ranked first in the nation with an obesity rate of 35.9 percent. Colorado ranked last (or best) for its rate of 21.3 percent.
Massachusetts ranked fourth lowest for its obesity rate of 23.3 percent.
Last year, Rhode Island and Massachusetts had nearly identical obesity rates at 27.2 percent and 23.6 percent, respectively. However, Rhode Island improved eight spots on the list, even as Massachusetts stayed the same at 48th.

According to the most recent data, obesity rates now exceed 35 percent in three states (Arkansas, West Virginia and Mississippi), 22 states have rates greater than 30 percent, 45 states are above 25 percent and every state is above 20 percent, the organizations said.
The organizations said nearly 40 percent of American adults age 40 to 59 are obese.
Data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a telephone health survey, is used to compile the results. Through this system, more than 400,000 adult interviews are conducted each year.

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