Mississippi heads 12 states with adult obesity rates of more than 30 per cent, trailed by Louisiana and West Virginia, according to the report by the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Twenty-six of the 30 states with the highest obesity rates are in the Midwest and South, it said.

Colorado had the lowest obesity rate at 20.7 percent, ahead of Hawaii and Massachusetts. “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,” said Jeffrey Levy, executive director of the Trust for America’s Health.

The analysis was based on state obesity figures provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The survey used CDC methodology that changed this year, making year-to-year comparisons difficult. The analysis was released in the run-up to the annual ‘F as in Fat’ report by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Obesity is measured using the body mass index (BMI), a number calculated from a person’s weight and height. Obesity is defined as a BMI greater than or equal to 30.

The top 10 states for obesity and their BMI percentages:

11.   Mississippi          34.9

2.     Louisiana             33.4

3.     West Virginia        32.4

4.     Alabama              32.0

5.     Michigan              31.3

6.     Oklahoma            31.1

7.     Arkansas             30.9

8.     Indiana (tie)          30.8

8.     South Carolina     30.8

10.   Kentucky (tie)       30.4

10.   Texas                   30.4

The bottom 10 states for obesity and their BMI percentages:

1.     Colorado             20.7

2.     Hawaii                  21.8

3.     Massachusetts     22.7

4.     New Jersey (tie)    23.7

4.     District of Columbia           23.7

5.     California             23.8

6.     Utah                    24.4

7.     New York (tie)       24.5

7.     Connecticut          24.5

7.     Nevada                24.5