The report highlights troubling racial and ethnic disparities in obesity rates. For instance, adult obesity rates for Blacks and Latinos were higher than for Whites in at least 40 states and the District of Columbia. In Michigan, the adult obesity rate was 38.2 percent among Blacks and 33.4 percent among Latinos, compared with 28.1 percent among Whites.
More than a third (35.3 percent) of adults earning less than $15,000 per year were obese compared with roughly a quarter (24.5 percent) of adults earning $50,000 or more per year.
“Obesity is one of the biggest public health challenges the country has ever faced, and troubling disparities exist based on race, ethnicity, region and income,” said Jeffrey Levi, PhD, Executive Director of TFAH. “This report shows that the country has taken bold steps to address the obesity crisis in recent years, but the nation’s response has yet to fully match the magnitude of the problem. Millions of Americans still face barriers - like the high cost of healthy foods and lack of access to safe places to be physically active - that make healthy choices challenging.”
12.4 percent of children were obese in the state, with the state ranking 41st out of the 50 states and D.C. for childhood obesity. Data collection for the next NSCH will begin in 2011. Currently, more than 12 million children and adolescents in the United States are considered obese.
Michigan has passed Complete Streets legislation, which aims to ensure that all users — pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities — have safe access to a community’s streets. Thirteen states have passed Complete Streets legislation.
1 year ago • Notes