Trust For
America’s Health
Releases 2007 “F as in Fat"
Report
Today, Trust for
America’s Health (TFAH)
released its fourth annual F as in Fat:
How Obesity Policies are Failing in
America, 2007
report. According
to the report, 66 percent of adult Americans are
overweight or obese.
Obesity rates
continued to rise in 31 states over the past
year.
Mississippi has the highest
adult obese population, which exceeds 30
percent.
Colorado and
Massachusetts are the only
states with adult obesity rates less than 20
percent.
In 1991, none of the states exceeded 20
percent.
Washington,
D.C. contains the
highest percentage of overweight children ranging
in age from 10 to 17, whereas the number of
overweight children is lowest in
Utah.
81 percent of
the American public surveyed for this report
believe that the Federal government has a role to
play in lowering the rates of obesity. TFAH also
supports more involvement by the Federal
government through a National Strategy to Combat
Obesity that would involve
all federal government agencies, define clear
roles and responsibilities for states and
localities, and engage private industry and
community groups.
The F as in Fat
report, which is made possible through a grant
from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,
encompasses an overview of obesity rates and
related trends, identifies
federal and state obesity-related legislation and
initiatives, and provides an analysis of physical
activity.
It also includes the results of two surveys
- an expert survey on future strategies to combat
obesity and a public opinion survey about obesity
and strategies for reversing current trends. Finally,
the report includes recommendations for combating
obesity at the federal, state, community, and
individual level.
To view the
entire report, please click here.
To view an
interactive map of states’ obesity related facts
from 2006, please click here.
