There's lots of reasons why! The Mountain States are full of outdoor enthusiasts: skiers, mountain bikers, etc. In the rural areas, it's also a lot of work to care for your property, farm, livestock, whatever. Plus, with all that clean air and beautiful land, people are general very health-conscious – about what we eat, etc. And at that altitude, walking down the street'll burn 500 calories. ;-)
I think 1 in 3 Americans is obese. Not just fat. Obese. That's horrifying. It's an epidemic, and it needs more attention. It drives up the costs of health care and other social safety net programs.
Interesting how 1/3 of Americans are obese, yet around 13% of Americans have "food insecurity," which doesn't necessarily mean they're dying of starvation, moreso that they may only eat once a day or every other day.
I blame too much convenience food, too little sleep, too much TV, too much self-indulgence with junk food, and too much computer and phone time, sitting on our backsides taking online quizzes or gaming when we should be working or actively playing (or getting a good night's sleep). Grandma and Grandpa worked from before sun up to past sun down, raising food, cooking and preparing that food (no fast food alternatives), cleaning and maintaining their home and property (without riding lawnmowers or power vacuums), caring for animals, and then getting a good night's sleep. If they ate sweets it was only a small piece of cake or candy as a treat. They practiced the principle of delayed gratification without even realizing it, and depended on themselves to do whatever needed to be done. Hmmm, I've just shamed myself into getting off the computer and getting busy. Bye y'all.
I think it's about what people eat rather than how much they eat. I'm an expat in France, and people here are slimmer than North Americans. But actually they eat a lot. They just don't eat salted snacks and melted cheese, and they don't drink sugary drinks.
The question is, in the long run what costs a country more, paying fat people's healthcare till they die in their 60s or have a mostly healthy nation living long in to their 80s.
Nearly every European country has a problem with obesity as well.
https://www.jetpunk.com/info/countries-by-obesity
Honestly, the word "obese" sounds a lot worse than the actual condition. A 5'10" person is considered obese at a weight of 210 lbs, which is obviously overweight but hardly immobile.
For a particularly salient example, this guy was obese.
There's a lot of truth to that. According the the BMI I'm considered overweight and pretty close to obese. But I'm an avid hiker and can hike 15-20 miles a day at high elevation pretty easily and when I'm not hiking I play competitive tennis 4-5 times a week. The BMI is a very general indicator of overall health, but there are a lot of other factors that are just as relevant.
Hmm.... plastic hormone disruptors or the fact that we don't walk anywhere anymore, have power tools to do our most basic functions, and eat like pigs?
Politically liberal governments give rise to much better healthcare and social welfare programs. Utah, on the other hand, is pretty easily explained by Mormons, who don't smoke, drink, or do drugs.
The highest BMI states correlated pretty well with the poorest states (7 were on both lists). I haven't checked how this one correlates with the richest states, but I expect there might be some overlap.
There is also the factor of increased social pressure to look better in liberal states (there's more people to see you, liberals live in metropolitan states...) :)
I so much disagree with your assessment. People on welfare are the fattest and unhealthiest demographic in America, and state sponsored medicine does not have a positive impact on obesity and fitness.
I'm a 4th generation CO native (19bmi haha), and grew up in a Colorado that was conservative. It only became liberal very recently due to a massive influx of Cali*****ans moving here, and bringing the same politics that destroyed their own state.
On a every corner of the internet there is a conservative American pissed off that Californians are moving into their state.
If you agree with this point of view, I highly recommend you start smoking cigarettes. It will alleviate the anxiety of living near "the libs" while also pissing them off. Most importantly, it will put you on a fast track to no longer annoying anyone within earshot of your constant complaining about how "things just ain't how they used to be." Marlboro, Camel, Newports, etc. you pick your poison... literally! Turn off that computer/phone and share a pack with a friend who shares your outdated belief systems!
Sorry, what California politics are destroying Colorado? By most measures, Colorado is one of the best American states to live in and has been for years. If the housing prices say anything, it's that people from all over the country prefer Colorado to their own states. If you need a lame excuse to whine about Californians at least do it because of the cultural impact, not the liberal politics allegedly destroying the state.
Hawaii natives do indeed have high rates of diabetes and obesity, there just aren't as as many of them as you'd expect. In Hawaii, the percentage of islanders is much lower than the percentage of people with Japanese ancestry.
Never been to the USA, but I remember an american english teacher here in Colombia telling me "Colorado is the fittest state in the USA". Finally found out he was right.
BMI is also not a necessarily an indicator if a person is obese or not. I have a BMI of over 30, but that's because I'm mostly muscle - I may have a little bit more fat on me than necessary, but there is no way anyone would consider me obese, let alone fat.
When we have female models who any respectable Doctor will tell you is morbidly obese yet we glorify them for parading around with fat folds hanging out all over their bathing suits and the public is castigated for pointing that out we will continue to be the most morbidly obese country in the World.
exactly- so-called 'fat-shaming' actually does more to harm people than to help. the fact that fat-shaming is apparently now a human rights issue is a sad reflection of western society....
Right, because most female models before that were perfectly healthy, well-fed individuals without body dysmorphia. The notion that making negative comments about somebody's weight actually helps them is utterly ridiculous. Haven't heard that it's a human rights issue, but what's a sad reflection is society is people who give no thought to the fact that others have feelings or things going on in their lives that influence their habits, behaviors, and appearance. Especially pathetic because OP's comment is specifically about women, who are practically trained to hate the way they look from a young age.
As someone from Colorado, an hour away from the Wyoming border, you are absolutely right: the two states have very, very different cultures. Colorado is blue/liberal/Democratic, whereas Wyoming is very red/conservative/Republican. Just that fact alone branches out into dozens of reasons how and why health and healthcare are prioritized higher (both personally and institutionally) in Colorado.
Most of Colorado (in terms of area) is not liberal. If you drive anywhere outside the Denver/Boulder metro area (plus I-70 corridor, Fort Collins, Durango, etc.), you might as well be in Wyoming, especially if you go east. As a state, it's usually pretty purple and way too big a generalization to say that the cultures of Colorado and Wyoming are "very, very different." Boebert represents the third district, for God's sake.
The concept of BMI is incredibly flawed. While it works generally, it only takes into account body weight, not differentiating between fat and muscle mass. Schwarzenegger is obese by BMI standards, which is ridiculous.
Worth pointing out that the red states are just ahead of the curve here. Whatever is causing the obesity crisis is affecting all states and countries.
Hawaii is the least obese today, with an obesity rate of "only" 25%. Go back to 1990, and that same 25% would have made Hawaii by far the most obese state.
There is something that we don't understand which is causing people to maintain a higher body weight. Politics has nothing to do with it, except of course to kill any useful examination into the problem.
Yep, every state has a massive obesity problem. But Europe is only 20 years or so behind the United States. Netherlands today is much fatter than the United States was in 1990.
I'm optimistic that there are some cultural differences, that will keep obesity in Europe below America (regulation, transportation), but the reason for the increase are certainly prominent everywhere.
If current trends continue, Europe in 20 years will look like America today....
In good news, I think that obesity will actually decline in the western world due to a new class of effective weight loss drugs that are becoming available.
How is that good news? Another band-aid that pharmaceutical companies make a killing from that ignores underlying social and cultural factors seems like pretty depressing news to me.
https://www.jetpunk.com/info/countries-by-obesity
Honestly, the word "obese" sounds a lot worse than the actual condition. A 5'10" person is considered obese at a weight of 210 lbs, which is obviously overweight but hardly immobile.
For a particularly salient example, this guy was obese.
Occam's Razor.
I'm a 4th generation CO native (19bmi haha), and grew up in a Colorado that was conservative. It only became liberal very recently due to a massive influx of Cali*****ans moving here, and bringing the same politics that destroyed their own state.
If you agree with this point of view, I highly recommend you start smoking cigarettes. It will alleviate the anxiety of living near "the libs" while also pissing them off. Most importantly, it will put you on a fast track to no longer annoying anyone within earshot of your constant complaining about how "things just ain't how they used to be." Marlboro, Camel, Newports, etc. you pick your poison... literally! Turn off that computer/phone and share a pack with a friend who shares your outdated belief systems!
Hawaii is the least obese today, with an obesity rate of "only" 25%. Go back to 1990, and that same 25% would have made Hawaii by far the most obese state.
There is something that we don't understand which is causing people to maintain a higher body weight. Politics has nothing to do with it, except of course to kill any useful examination into the problem.
In good news, I think that obesity will actually decline in the western world due to a new class of effective weight loss drugs that are becoming available.