Mississippi is considered as the fattest state in America. That’s according to the result of the latest statistical analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which were conducted through telephone surveys to residents about their height and weight.

This is the sixth consecutive year for Mississippi to be considered as the fattest state among the 50 states in the United States with an obesity rate reported at 34.9%. Second in the list is Louisiana at 33.4% while third is West Virginia with 32.4% of the population considered obese. Meanwhile, Colorado is still the skinniest state with an obesity rate of 20.7%.

On a regional basis, the region with the highest percentage of obesity was the South, with the Midwest coming in second, the Northeast after that and finally the West as the skinniest.

Mississippi Remains to be the Fattest State in America
Image Credit: nigeriantimes.blogspot.com

By definition, a person is considered obese with a BMI over 30. The CDC study also added that over “one-third of the U.S. adults (35.7%) and approximately 17% (0r 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2-19 years are obese.” Twelve states now have an obesity percentage over 30% and no state has a percentage less than 20%.

In a statement, Jeffrey Levi, Ph.D, executive director of the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), explained that “Obesity has contributed to a stunning rise in chronic disease rates and health care costs. It is one of the biggest health crises the country has ever faced.”

Levi conducted the obesity study with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The results of the study were taken from the 2011 CDC data of Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey.

Below is the complete list of obesity rates in the US as provided by CDC with Mississippi topping the list as the fattest state among the states in the US.