That headline is like the backhanded compliment "She don't sweat much for a fat girl". True, obesity is not as bad in Louisiana as it could be, but it is still a major problem.

The national obesity rate ten years ago was 32%. That meant that ten years ago one in three Americans would be considered obese. That percentage has jumped to 38% in the last decade. Louisiana 's obesity rate is 35%. So we're better than the nation but not much better.  Those figures come from the Centers for Disease Control.

Department of Health and Hospitals Assistant Secretary for Public Health JT Lane told the Louisiana Radio Network,

We are seeing some statistically significant decreases in physical inactivity in the state according to the larger report, so that is a welcome sign.

Lane went on to explain that the CDC's findings found that more women than men are now considered obese. In the CDC report nationwide the obesity rate for women is 36% for men it is 33%. The disparity grows even wider when race is a part of the discussion.

For white adults it’s 30.5% and for black adults, it’s 43%, so that is something that definitely concerns me.

To help alleviate the problem Lane said that in over one-thousand businesses across the state "Well Spots" have been designated. These designated spots were created to help provide information and resources to people who were wanting to live a healthier lifestyle.

Lifestyle changes take time and what our approach has been is to find the right way to incentivize each and every person to make some small changes and enable them to make larger changes over time.

 

 

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