An editorial from The Register-Herald
BECKLEY, W.Va. — In a nation of fat people, West Virginia is just two-tenths of a percent from being the fattest.
Not a pretty statement, is it? But there it is in black and white.
The 2015 State of Obesity report released Monday by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found West Virginia’s obesity rate at 35.7 percent, second only to Arkansas’ 35.9 percent rate. Mississippi was third at 35.5 percent.
Last year, West Virginia and Mississippi were tied for No. 1
Lest anyone think it’s good news that the report shows we are now No. 2, it is not. This year’s rate was six-tenths of a point higher than last year’s 35.1 percent.
Nationwide, more than 30 percent of adults and 17 percent of children are considered obese, according to the report.
As in previous years, West Virginia also has the highest incidence of diabetes and hypertension (high blood pressure). All which translate to increased health costs and the possibility of an earlier death…
