Subscribe to Receive the Daily Report

Friday, June 15th, 2018

Rural America struggles with obesity epidemic

Author:     Reid Wilson
Source:     The Hill
Publication Date:     06/14/18 01:00 PM EDT
 Link: Rural America struggles with obesity epidemic
Stephan:   If you travel in the United States the obesity of Americans is one of  things that registers most on your awareness; it is quite unlike anything you see in other developed nations. However, it is not spread equally throughout the country and the correlations between high rates of obesity and conservative religiosity and politics should be remarked upon. States governed by Republicans, particularly in rural areas, as this report describes, are much more obese than people in the Blue value Northwest or Northeast, or in Blue value urban areas.

Credit: CBS News

Americans living outside of large metropolitan areas are much more likely to be obese than those who live in cities and suburbs, a public health challenge that could be shortening the lives of rural residents.

New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention find more than a third of rural residents, 34.2 percent, qualify as obese, while the obesity rate in metropolitan counties is a significantly lower at 28.7 percent.

Rural Americans struggle with obesity more than those who live in urban areas in every part of the country. The highest obesity rates are in rural counties in Southern states; in Louisiana and Texas, the number of obese residents approaches 40 percent.

The gaps between metropolitan and rural counties are most pronounced in a broader range of states including New York, Florida and Virginia. In those states, urban residents are far less likely to be obese than their rural neighbors.

Public health experts said the higher rates of obesity in rural areas is a long-term trend that highlights the socioeconomic differences between urban […]

Read the Full Article