Colorado Still Skinniest US State

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The title of skinniest state in America still goes to Colorado, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In 2011, Colorado's obesity rate was 20.7 percent — the lowest in the nation.

In 2011, 39 states had obesity rates of over 25 percent, and 12 had obesity rates over 30 percent. The highest obesity rate was in Mississippi, in which 34.9 percent of the population is obese.

Obesity rates were high in the South in general, with about 30 percent of people in that region qualifying as obese. In the Midwest, the rate was 29 percent, followed by the Northeast at 25 percent, and the West at 24 percent.

After Colorado, the lowest obesity rates were found in Hawaii (21.8 percent), Massachusetts (22.7 percent), and New Jersey and Washington D.C. (both 23.7 percent).

After Mississippi, the states with the highest obesity rates were: Louisiana (33.4 percent), West Virginia (32.4 percent), Alabama (32 percent) and Michigan (31.3 percent).

Because the CDC made changes in the way it collects information about obesity in the country, estimates from 2011 onward cannot be compared with estimates made in the past. The current estimates come from a telephone survey known as the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a national telephone survey that now includes cellphone-only households, as well as those with landlines.

Complications of obesity include heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, the CDC says.

Pass it on: In 2011, Colorado had the lowest obesity rate, and Mississippi the highest.

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Live Science Staff
Live Science Staff
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