F is for Fat (or should I say Fatter)

The Trust for America's Health has just released its seventh annual report on obesity and the results are depressing. Here are the highlights of the report:

Adult obesity rates rose in 28 states over the past year. Only the District of Columbia experienced a decline in adult obesity rates.

More than two-thirds of states (38) now have adult obesity rates above 25 percent.

Eight states have rates above 30 percent: Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia.

In 1991, no state had an obesity rate above 20 percent.

Adult obesity rates rose for a second consecutive year in 15 states and rose for a third consecutive year in 11 states.

Mississippi had the highest rate of obese adults at 33.8 percent. Colorado had the lowest rate at 19.1 percent and is the only state with a rate below 20 percent.


The news about childhood obesity is equally depressing.

Highlights from the report:

State-specific obesity rates ranged from a low of 9.6 percent in Oregon to a high of 21.9 percent in Mississippi.

Eight states, plus the District of Columbia, have childhood obesity rates greater than 20 percent: Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas.

Nine of the 10 states with the highest rates of obese children are in the South, as are nine out of the 10 states with the highest rates of poverty.

Go here to read the full report.

It's Healthrageous!

A Boston-based start up may have a powerful tool to help individuals overcome their unhealthy behavior. The company, Healthrageous, a is a spinout of Partners Center for Connected Health. The startup’s software is designed to automatically give people personalized advice to help them reach health goals such as losing weight, lowering blood pressure, or controlling their diabetes. However, unlike a lot of personal health record products which depend on a user to conscientiously update the information about their health status, Healthrageous says they will automate the gathering of essential biometric data. They will do this by linking wireless monitoring devices such as glucose meters directly to a users online personal health record. The company's software will then be able to provide feedback to the user,offering advise and motivation to help the user achieve desired health goals. The feedback can be delivered to an internet-connected computer, mobile phone, or even via snail mail. For a closer look at this company's new offering check out this article by Ryan McBride at XConomy Boston