A recent Gallup Poll conducted across the United States says that the majority of Americans are either overweight or obese.
The state with the highest number of residents overweight and/or obese is West Virginia where nearly 70% (69.3%) fall into the category. West Virginia is followed closely by Mississippi, Kentucky, Iowa and North Dakota rounding out the 5 states with the highest rate of people classified as overweight or obese.
Colorado, Hawaii, Rhode Island, California and Utah finished in the top five respectively. New York State finished 10th.
Six in 10 (60.7%) New Yorkers qualified as overweight or obese:
- Overweight 36.1%
- Obesity Class 1 16.2%
- Obesity Class 2 5.5%
- Obesity Class 3 2.9%
Gallup calculated respondents Body Mass Index using the standard formula based on their self-reported height and weight.
The World Health Organization defines a normal BMI range as being 18.50 to 24.99. It labels BMIs of 25.00 to less than 30.00 as overweight/pre-obese, and those with BMIs of 30.00 or higher are considered obese.
People who responded to to poll as being overweight also said they have a lower quality of life, greater financial strain, being less attractive to employers, and a higher probability of raising another generation that faces equally serious weight problems.
Complete results of the poll can be found here.
