Illinois Is Getting Fatter

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Jul 9, 2009 4:40PM

Last week, we mentioned the children of the state are getting fatter. Now, another study says that Illinois' adults are, too. According to data released by the CDC, 26.4 percent of Illinois adults are obese. Overall, the Southeast has the highest rates with Mississippi and Alabama coming in at #1 and #2, respectively. (Way to go, SEC country, making me proud of my homeland). But, seriously, the new results show a very troubling trend. As the Trib explains:

The CDC found that in 2008 Illinois was among 32 states where 25 percent or more of adults were, to put it bluntly, fat. Officially, obesity counts as having a body mass index - a ratio of weight to height - of 30 percent or higher.

To put that in perspective, two decades ago no state counted more than 15 percent of adults as obese. That hurdle was passed in 1991 by four states, including Michigan.

In 1996, three states, including Indiana and Kentucky, passed the 20 percent mark. In 2001, Mississippi became the first state where at least 25 percent of adults were excessively heavy. Four years later, three states - Louisiana, Mississippi and West Virginia - topped 30 percent.

And locally? Illinois is definitely following the overall trend.

In 1985, as far back as the current CDC report goes, fewer than 10 percent of Illinoisans were obese. Two years later, the figure jumped to 10 to 14 percent. In 1994, it rose again to the 15 to 19 percent range. Five years later, obesity rates in Illinois soared to 20 percent or more. Then, last year, rates climbed again, to the 25 to 29 percent range.

Besides contributing to illnesses like diabetes and heart disease, obesity also spikes the cost of health care.