Missouri ranks 11th in adult obesity

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - A new study reveals that Missouri now has the 11th highest adult obesity rate in the country.

The report by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Trust for America’s Health shows that Missouri’s obesity rate struck 30.3%.

Georganne Syler is a registered dietitian and professor at Southeast Missouri State University.

Syler says that Missouri’s increasing belt line is caused by inexpensive high-calorie foods, large serving sizes, and a lack of exercise.

“When I say exercise I don’t mean going to the gym. I mean we don’t walk. We drive through a window to get a soda that might then give us 500 calories rather than even getting out of the car to walk into the store,” Syler says.

Missouri’s children are less likely to be obese. The childhood obesity rate is 13.6%, which ranks 31st in the country.

The report details the growth of obesity rates in the United States over time. Twenty years ago, all states had obesity rates under 15%. Fast forward to 2011 and the lowest obesity rate in the country belongs to Colorado at 19% … which would have ranked as the highest in the country in 1995.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

Posted in: Georganne Syler,health,obesity,Southeast Missouri State University