ATLANTA (AP) -- A new government survey shows 12 states now have very high obesity rates.
Overall, more than a third of adults are obese but rates vary by state. The latest figures are based on a 2011 telephone survey that asked adults their height and weight. For the first time, households with only cell phones were included.
State rates remained about the same although states with very high rates went from nine to 12. At least 30 percent of adults are obese in Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and West Virginia.
Texas scored at 30.4 percent, down slightly from 31 percent the year before.
The only states with a higher obesity rate includes Mississippi (34.9), Louisiana
(33.4), West Virginia (32.4), Alabama (32), Michigan (31.3), Oklahoma (31.1), Arkansas (30.9), Indiana (30.8) and South Carolina (30.8). Kentucky tied Texas with 30.4 percent.
Colorado was lowest, at just under 21 percent, and Mississippi was highest at nearly 35 percent.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the figures Monday.
