Politics & Government

Cobb Still Getting Fatter

Obesity is responsible for more than 300,000 US deaths annually. Find out how fat Cobb County is.

By HEATHER MARTINO

America’s epidemic of fatness extends all the way to Cobb County, with obesity rates at 33.4 percent for men and 29.4 percent for women in 2011. Using the map above, you can see the rate was 25.7 percent for men and 24 percent for women in 2001.

Obesity in Georgia increased more than in Cobb County, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

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And compared to other states, women in Douglas are slimmer than the national average of 33.8 percent for men and 36.1 percent for women. In 2011, obesity prevalence for both genders in the U.S. ranged from 20.7 percent in Colorado to 34.9 percent in Mississippi, according to the CDC.

These figures were obtained from a recent study from the University of Washington.

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According to the CDC, obesity affects more than one-third of adults, or 35.7 percent of the population in the United States. Obesity is calculated by measuring a person’s height and weight, and deriving at a ratio called the body mass index, or BMI. This number often correlates to an individual’s amount of body fat, and is used to ascertain whether a person is considered underweight, a normal weight, overweight or obese.

Obese individuals have a 50-100 percent increased risk of premature death, and it’s estimated that obesity may be the cause of 300,000 deaths per year according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Interestingly, Americans claim to be exercising more during the same time period that obesity climbed. “Around the country, you can see huge increases in the percentage of people becoming physically active, which research tells us is certain to have health benefits,” said IHME Director Dr. Christopher Murray in a press release. Murray added that “If communities in the US can replicate this success and tackle the ongoing obesity impact, it will see more substantial health gains.”

The good news is that there may be silver lining to America’s fat epidemic. While we’re still getting fatter, at least it’s happening at a slower rate than in past years. And if this rate continues to drop, Cobb might soon be reporting slimmer, healthier residents.


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