The top 10 most overweight states in America revealed and the hidden causes behind it

The most overweight US states have been revealed amid the country's ongoing obesity crisis.

The alarming rates of obesity in America has been declared a public health crisis, with one 2023 report finding that in 23 states one in three adults in the US were obese. Someone is classified as 'obese' if their body mass index (BMI) is 30 or above.

Even more worryingly, one in six children were found to be obese as well, said the Obesity Medical Association.

While the issue is a nationwide problem, there are some states that have higher rates of obesity and people being overweight than others.

WalletHub recently compared America's 50 states and the District of Columbia across 31 key metrics to see which came up top as some of the unhealthiest.

Nearly one in three American adults are considered obese (Getty Stock Image)

Top 10 most overweight states in America

10) Oklahoma

9) Delaware

8) Texas

7) Kentucky

6) Tennessee

5) Alabama

4) Lousiana

3) Arkansas

2) Mississippi

1) West Virgina

Chip Lupo, an analyst at WalletHub, shared his thoughts on why these states are the most overweight.

"While losing weight largely hinges on whether an individual chooses to eat healthy foods, limit their calorie intake and exercise consistently, certain states make shedding the pounds easier than others," he explained.

Lupo continued: "For example, some states are much better at regulating school lunches to make sure they are healthy, and have more opportunities for adults to buy fresh, nutritious ingredients. In addition, while anyone can exercise at home, some states provide far more locations for people to go to work out or play sports."

The analysis looked at the top most overweight states specifically and why its residents struggle with their weight.

West Virginia is America's most overweight state (John M. Chase/Getty Stock)

West Virginia

In West Virginia, 42 percent of its adults were classified as obese, while another 31 percent were overweight. With this in mind, it has some of the highest rates of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, heart attacks and high cholesterol in the nation.

One reason for this is believed to be the fact that West Virginia has the highest sugary beverage consumption rate among adolescents. In addition to this, less than half of residents live near a healthy food retailer.

Mississippi

Those in Mississippi were found to eat less than one serving of fruit per day and nearly a quarter of them do the same for vegetables, per WalletHub's analysis.

While it has a good education system when it comes to encouraging young people to be active, its efforts seem to be in vain as the state has the second-highest percentage of physically inactive children ages six to 17.

Mississippi also has the highest percentage of physically-inactive adults.

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