With many patient engagement solutions, healthcare has progressed but, challenges like obesity have begun creeping up and challenging the nation. Obesity rates among adults are at or above 35% in 7 American states and this record number has increased from five states in 2016.
The annual State of Obesity 2018: Better Policies for a Healthier America report reveals that in addition to this increase, none of the rates show significant improvement in its obesity rates over the past year. This report is published by the Trust for America's Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Between the years 2016 and 2017 six states witnessed an increase in obesity. At present, 48 states have adult obesity rates exceeding 25%. The report mentions that atleast 20% of adults are obese in every state. But the rates vary across the country.
2017 was the first year when adult obesity rates crossed 35% in Iowa and Oklahoma and was the second time for Arkansas, West Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
John Auerbach, president and CEO of TFAH said that obesity is a complex and often intractable problem. Obesity in America as an “epidemic”; it has serious health and cost consequences for individuals, their families and the nation.