WV LEADS NATION FOR DIABETES - Ranks Third For Adult Obesity

(08/24/2005)
West Virginia's health report card is pretty bad.

A report issued yesterday shows that WV ranks third in the nation behind Mississippi and Alabama for its rate of adult obesity.

West Virginia leads the nation in the percentage of adults with diabetes.

The report released by Trust for America's Health in Washington, DC says that WV and other states can take more steps to address such health issues.

According to the report, about 64 percent of West Virginia adults were overweight or obese in 2004.

About 27 percent were obese.

The report also shows that nearly 11 percent of West Virginia adults had diabetes in 2004, the highest in the nation.

West Virginia was ranked fourth for medical costs related to obesity per person in 2003, at $325 dollars.

The report looked at data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, states' Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Surveys and other sources.