CDC data shows obesity prevalence more common in a growing number of states

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the prevalence of obesity is rising all across the nation.

The CDC data found that 22 states had a prevalence, or “proportion of adults with a body mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 30,” of obesity over 35 percent in 2022. In comparison, 17 states had a prevalence of obesity over 35 percent in 2021.

The data is from the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, “an ongoing state-based, telephone interview survey conducted by CDC and state health departments,” according to the agency. 

“Obesity is a disease caused by many factors, including eating patterns, physical activity levels, sleep routines, genetics, and certain medications. This means that there is no one size fits all approach,” Dr. Karen Hacker, director of the CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, said in a statement to CNN.

Other findings in the survey note differences in U.S. regions and their prevalences of obesity in 2022, with the Midwest having the highest at 35.8 percent, followed by the South at 35.6. The Northeast and the West had slightly lower numbers of obesity prevalence at 30.5 and 29.5, respectively.

The District of Columbia was the only part of the U.S. with an obesity prevalence percentage under 25 percent in 2022. Three states — Louisiana, Oklahoma and West Virginia — were reported by the agency to have an obesity prevalence percentage above 40 percent.