Rhode Island has the sixth-lowest adult obesity rate and the 10th lowest youth obesity rate in the country, according to a report released Aug. 27 by the Trust for America's Health, a nonprofit health advocacy and research group.
According to the group's annual report, 20.5 percent of adults in Rhode Island are obese. That number is up one percentage point from last year's 19.5 percent. The current youth obesity rate, defined as obesity in 10-17 year olds, is 11.9 percent in Rhode Island.
The report, "F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America," found Colorado and Utah to have the lowest adult and youth obesity rates, respectively. Mississippi and Washington, D.C., have the highest adult and youth obesity rates. Obesity rates have not dropped in any states, and 22 states, including Rhode Island, reported increases from last year's report. State rankings are based on three years of data gathered from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Behavioral Risk Surveillance System.
But the Ocean State's low ranking doesn't mean Rhode Islanders can "relax and stop exercising," said Ilyse Veron, a senior communications manager for Trust for America's Health.
In a public opinion survey conducted for the report by the Trust for America's Health, 25 percent of adults in Rhode Island reported that they don't engage in any physical activity. Nationally, the average is 22 percent.
Though people must help themselves in monitoring their weight, state and federal governments must facilitate access to a healthier lifestyle, Veron said. Rhode Island is one of 17 states that requires school meals to have higher nutritional standards than those required by the U.S. Department for Agriculture.
According to the report, as of January, Rhode Island statute requires elementary and junior high schools to offer drinks such as 2-percent-fat milk and soy beverages.
Starting next January, Rhode Island law will require schools to offer healthier snacks, such as low-fat yogurt, fruit and nuts.
Currently, Rhode Island has no legislation requiring schools to assess students' body mass index levels during health examinations or physical education. The state has a snack tax and received a CDC grant for a state-based nutrition and physical activity program in 2006. Rhode Island's Medicaid program has offered reimbursement for gastric bypass surgery and weight-loss drugs since 2004, according to the report.
The report calls for the federal government to launch a "national strategy to combat obesity" by providing grants for obesity research, working with employers to implement a "workplace wellness program" and helping Americans choose healthier foods and be more active.
