Tennessee is second fattest state in the nation
By Christina E. Sanchez • THE TENNESSEAN • June 29, 2010
Tennessee was named the second fattest state in the nation, tied with Alabama, according to an annual health ranking report.
The state dropped two spots from its previous ranking of fourth fattest. Mississippi was No. 1 for obesity rates for the sixth year in a row.
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.