EFN

Americans are getting fatter, according to a new report on obesity in America, which could be a problem that may begin to drain your tax dollars.

The epidemic seems destined to continue to get worse, the report shows. Among children 10-17, about 30% are overweight or obese in 30 states, says the survey, which also analyzed youth this time around. Study after study has determined that overweight children are more likely to become obese as adults, and obese children are almost certain to remain that way.

The problem starts with the fact many Americans are not exercising, and piling on the pounds. The new report finds obesity is on the rise in 23 states. That’s fewer than last year however, looking back almost a decade, when no state had more than a 20-percent obesity rate, today every state but Colorado is at 20 percent or more.
Adult obesity has risen in 23 states and not one state reported a decrease, according to the report released by Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

“The only good news is that the pace of the epidemic growth is lessening,” said James Marks, the foundation’s senior vice president. “We’re still getting fatter, but maybe a little bit more slowly than before.”

The current rate of obesity means the United States will miss its mark of halving the countries obesity rate to 15 per cent by next year, the report’s authors say.

Being over weight is linked with a assortment of chronic illnesses and experts say it is at the root of one-quarter of health care spending in the United States.