Alabama Among Most Overweight And Obese States in America

BIRMINGHAM, AL — November is National Diabetes Awareness Month and with obesity leading to nearly $200 billion in U.S. health care costs each year, a study conducted recently shows Alabama among the most obese and overweight states in the U.S.

The study, conducted by personal finance website WalletHub, lists Alabama at no. 8 among the most obese states.

To determine which states contribute the most to America’s overweight and obesity problem, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 31 key metrics. They range from share of overweight and obese population to sugary-beverage consumption among adolescents to obesity-related health care costs.

Here is how Alabama stacks up in the WalletHub study:

• 7th – percent of obese adults
• 7th – percent of overweight children
• 25th – percent of obese children
• 4th – percent of physically inactive adults
• 5th – percent of adults with high cholesterol
• 5th – percent of adults eating less than one serving of fruits/vegetables per day
• 3rd – percent of adults with Type 2 Diabetes
• 2nd – percent of adults with hypertension

According to the Mayo Clinic, obesity is diagnosed when a person's body mass index, or BMI, is 30 or higher. BMI is calculated by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by their height in meters squared. A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered normal while a score of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight. Anything past that is deemed obese, with varying levels.

See the complete WalletHub study here.