Mississippi remains most obese state, CDC reports

The South tips the scales again as the nation's fattest region, according to a new government survey.

More than 30 percent of adults in Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee are considered obese. In part, experts blame Southern eating habits, poverty and demographic groups that have higher obesity rates.

Colorado was the least obese, with about 19 percent fitting that category in a random telephone survey done last year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The 2007 findings are similar to results from the same survey the three previous years. Mississippi has had the highest obesity rate every year since 2004. But Alabama, Tennessee, West Virginia and Louisiana have also clustered near the top of the list.

The South has had high death rates from heart disease and stroke, health risks that have been linked to obesity, some experts noted.

The CDC study only surveyed adults, but results for kids are similar, said Dr. Miriam Vos, assistant professor of pediatrics at Atlanta's Emory School of Medicine.

"Most of the studies of obesity and children show the South has the highest rates as well," Vos said.

Why is the South so heavy? The traditional Southern diet — high in fat and fried food — may be part of the answer, said Dr. William Dietz, who heads CDC's nutrition, physical activity and obesity division.

The South also has a large concentration of rural residents and black women — two groups that tend to have higher obesity rates, he said.

The study found that about 36 percent of black survey participants were obese, while 28.5 percent of Hispanics and 24.5 percent of whites were.

High poverty rates in the South probably are another factor, said Naa Oyo Kwate, assistant professor of sociomedical sciences at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.

In today's America, poor people tend to be obese: The cheapest foods tend to be calorie-heavy, and stores offering healthier, and more expensive, food choices are not often found in poor neighborhoods, she said.

And why is Colorado so thin? It's a state with a reputation for exercise.

美国政府的一项最新调查显示，美国南部再次成为全国最肥胖的地区。

调查显示，在密西西比、阿拉巴马和田纳西州，超过30%的成年人存在肥胖问题。有关专家认为南部地区的高肥胖率与其饮食习惯、贫穷及人口特点有关。

科罗拉多州的肥胖率最低，约为19%。这些调查结果来自美国疾病控制与预防中心去年进行的随机电话调查。

去年的调查结果与前三年差不多。从2004年起，密西西比州的肥胖率连年居全国之首。而如今阿拉巴马、田纳西、西弗吉尼亚和路易斯安那州也“迎头赶上”，紧随其后。

一些专家指出，南部地区心脏病和中风等由肥胖引起的疾病死亡率很高。

亚特兰大埃默里医学院的儿科学副教授米里安姆•沃斯说，尽管美国疾病防控中心的这项调查仅针对成年人，但儿童的情况也差不多。

沃斯说：“有关儿童和肥胖问题的多数调查表明，南部地区的儿童肥胖率也居全国之首。”

为什么南部地区的肥胖问题如此严重？疾病防控中心营养、锻炼和肥胖部门的负责人威廉姆•迪亚兹博士说，南方的传统饮食是导致这一问题的原因之一，南方的饮食脂肪含量高，而且多油炸食品。

此外，南方地区以农村人口为主，而且黑人女性较多，这两大人群的肥胖率往往较高。

调查发现，36%的黑人受访者存在肥胖问题，这一比例在西班牙人和白人中分别为28.5%和24.5%。

哥伦比亚大学邮差公共健康学院社会医学副教授纳尔•奥尤 •科维特说，南方的贫困率较高可能也是导致肥胖的一大因素。

她说，在如今的美国，穷人更容易发胖。廉价的食物通常所含热量较高，而穷人往往买不起商店里那些健康、较贵的食品。

为什么科罗拉多州的人很苗条呢？那是因为这里的人们酷爱体育锻炼。