Obesity in Adults
In 2018, yet again, Mississippi ranked highest in the number of adults with overweight and obesity. In fact, over 70% of Mississippians over the age of 20 years old are carrying excess weight. To contrast, only 44% of the citizens of Utah and 46% of those in Colorado are overweight or obese. Overall, in the U.S. we have seen obesity rates double since the 1990’s. Fortunately, the U.S. is beginning to see the growth in obesity slowing down in the last few years. Unfortunately, in Mississippi this is not happening and we are continuing to see rising obesity rates. https://www.americashealthrankings.org/explore/annual/measure/Obesity/state/MS
Obesity in Children and Adolescents
Sadly, 1 out of 4 children (ages 10-17 years) in Mississippi suffer from obesity. This is the highest obesity rate for this age range in the nation. When given surveys on their quality of life, children with obesity have scores similar to children undergoing with severe illnesses. Obesity in children can make them a target of bullying from their peers. In addition, research has shown that teachers, doctors, and nurses have a tendency to underestimate the intelligence and abilities of children with obesity. Not to be overlooked, children with obesity are at an increased risk for early onset of health problems (high blood pressure, joint pain, sleep apnea, diabetes, etc.).
We must continue to fight against the disease of obesity at every age in the Magnolia State. We ARE seeing obesity rates improve in our 2-4 year olds. The WIC program has fought hard and is having success in this age group. However, Mississippi consistently has one of the highest child poverty and food insecurity rates in the nation. Thus, when our families have to struggle with being able to afford both food and rent, buying healthy food has to take a back seat. Food insecurity and poverty are contributing to Mississippi’s rank as the #1 state with obesity. This begs the question: will the war on obesity in Mississippi be won without doing more to fight the war on poverty in our great state?
Read more about what Meridian Weight is doing in the battle against obesity: http://www.meridianweight.net. Meridian Weight is a comprehensive center for the treatment of obesity based in Meridian, Mississippi. They have treated over 8,000 patients for obesity and the co-morbidities of obesity since 2013.