Alabama is now the fifth most obese state in the nation, according to F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2013, a report from the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).

After three decades of increases, adult obesity rates remained level in every state except for one, Arkansas, in the past year.

However, rates remain high—Alabama’s adult obesity rate is 33 percent, and the state is one of 13 that have adult obesity rates above 30 percent.

Since 2005, there has been some evidence that the rate of increase has been slowing.

“While stable rates of adult obesity may signal prevention efforts are starting to yield some results, the rates remain extremely high,” said Jeffrey Levi, PhD, executive director of TFAH. “Even if the nation holds steady at the current rates, Baby Boomers—who are aging into obesity-related illnesses—and the rapidly rising numbers of extremely obese Americans are already translating into a cost crisis for the healthcare system.”

OBESITY RATES
State (Rank)    NOW     IN 2030
Louisiana (1)     34.7%    62.1%
Mississippi (2)    34.6%    64.7%
Arkansas(3)    34.5%    60.6%
West Va. (4)    33.8%    60.2%
Alabama (5)    33%    62.6%