A new Gallup Poll shows that West Virginia has knocked Mississippi out of the top spot for Obesity. According to this years poll 1 out of every 3 people in West Virginia is obese.
I find a few things troubling with these figures. First, it was based on telephone interviews of over 350,000 random people all over the USA. They took people on their word about how much they weigh, which brings me to a study I read a few weeks ago that stated people always underestimate their own weight. I'm not saying these people lie to the interviewer, it's just that a lot of people don't know how much they really weigh, they guesstimate. Or they use the weight they got from the doctor a few years ago.
Anyway, overall in America, 26.6% of people are considered obese, more than 1 in 4. You're considered obese if you have a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 30 or above... and they figure that out by measuring your weight and your height. A BMI of 25 - 29.9 is considered overweight... you can Google BMI and figure out where you fit in on the chart.
The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHNES) which actually physically weighs and measures people says the actual obesity rate in America is 33.8%
And not surprisngly, the states with the highest rates of obesity also has the highest rates of Diabetes, well a big DUH!!
We've got to get people moving, especially the kids, who weigh on average 6 pounds more than 15 years ago... pretty scary. You got to move it. Just Do It!! There's nothing on TV, no video game and no internet more important than your own or your kids health.
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