Being the buckle of the BBQ belt probably isn't helping much
The Tennessean reports on a study that shows Tennessee ranks #2 nationally in obesity rates.
From the article:
The seventh annual report from Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation showed that 31.6 percent of Tennessee’s adults are obese. Men were more obese than women at 32.2 percent.Also, for the first time, the report “F as in Fat” ranked minority groups state-by-state. Tennessee had the highest rates of obesity in the country for Latinos, while the state was ranked sixth for obesity among blacks.
Poverty and lack of access to healthy foods and safe neighborhoods were cited in the study as top reasons for high rates of obesity. The recession also could have caused some states to regress.
Looking deeper into the Tennessee specific findings, 41.1% of African-Americans are considered obese, which puts us in a tie with Alabama for 5th place on that metric.
Income disparity is also one of the key factors, the study finds, so it should come as no surprise that Tennessee, whose poverty rate is 2.5% higher than the national average, suffers from a higher rate of obesity than other states.
We’ll be looking for more county specific information as it becomes available.