Florida, like every state, is losing obesity battle

Communities successful at reducing obesity are doing things that encourage people to eat healthier and stay active.

More and safer parks, expanding the sidewalks and public transportation, fruits and vegetables in cafeterias at school and work, health club discounts.

"All of those things add up," said Dr. Jim Marks of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a nonprofit health advocacy group in Princeton, N.J.

But despite these efforts, not a single state has turned the corner yet on the nation's obesity scourge, according to a report released Thursday by the foundation and by the Washington-based Trust for America's Health.

"No state has seen a significant decrease in its obesity rate," said Marks, director of the foundation's Health Group, at a conference call Thursday.

"Today, the state with the lowest adult obesity rate would have had the highest rate in 1995," Jeff Levi, executive director of the Trust for America's Health, said in a statement.

Florida's adult obesity rate increased for the third year in a row, and has climbed more than 80 percent in the past 15 years, according to the annual report, "F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future."

Among adults in the state, 26.1 percent are considered obese, while 62.6 percent are either obese or overweight, the study concluded. That compares with 68 percent considered obese or overweight nationwide.

Overall, Florida ranks as the 29th most obese state.

That comes as no surprise to Lenora Welden, co-founder of Premiere Weight Loss Center in Tampa, who sees hectic lifestyles as part of the problem.

"People are working longer hours, they don't feel like cooking and they run through and buy fast food," Welden said.

"I think it's the wrong kind of calories they are taking in."

Mississippi topped the list in the new report, with an adult obesity rate of 34.4 percent. Six other southern states ranked among the most obese.

Colorado had the lowest adult obesity rate at 19.8 percent and was the only state below 20 percent.

Obesity is highest in Southeastern states, the report said. The Northeast had the lowest obesity levels, but researchers warned that no state or region has seen a decline.

The new report is based on telephone surveys by state health departments, with help from the federal Centers for Disease Control. Researchers compared data collected between 2007-09 and 2008-10.

Adults with a Body Mass Index of 25 to 29.9 are considered overweight, while those with a BMI of 30 or more are considered obese. The index, also called BMI, is a ratio of weight to height.

Polk County's adult population ranks as the most obese in the Tampa Bay area, with an obesity rate of 33.2 in 2007 – up from 24.8 percent in 2002, according to the Florida Department of Health.

Pinellas County has an adult obesity rate of 27.7 percent, up from 17.9 percent in 2002. Hillsborough County's adult obesity rate is 24.8 percent, up from 22.6 percent in 2002.

Pasco County was the only county in the region that saw improvement in that period, going from 28.3 percent in 2002 to 21.8 percent in 2007.

Sarasota County had the lowest adult obesity level in the region at 17.2 percent, up 2 percentage points from 2002.

Higher poverty levels may, in part, account for the higher obesity rates in the Southeast, Levi said at Thursday's news conference.

Poor people tend to eat foods higher in starches, sugar and fat, Marks said.

Plus, many live in neighborhoods that have no access to parks and recreation, or where people don't feel safe going to the park.

"Many people live in neighborhoods where it's tough to make healthy choices, even if their motivation is strong," Marks said.

More than 33 percent of adults who earn less than $15,000 per year were obese, compared with 24.6 percent of adults earning $50,000 per year or more, the study concluded.

Six of the states with the highest poverty rates were also in the Top 10 for obesity.

Researchers also concluded that obesity tends to be more pronounced among minorities and less educated people. Some examples:

- Adult obesity rates among blacks topped 40 percent in 15 states, 35 percent in 35 states and 30 percent in 42 states and Washington, D.C. In Florida, the adult obesity rate was 38.8 percent among blacks.

- Among Hispanics, adult obesity rates were 30 percent or more in 23 states. In Florida, the adult obesity rate among Hispanics was 28.7 percent.

- By comparison, adult obesity among whites topped 30 percent in only four states, and no state had a rate higher than 32.1 percent. In Florida, the adult obesity rate among whites was 24.1 percent.

- Nearly 33 percent of adults who did not graduate from high school are obese, compared with 21.5 percent of adults who graduated from a college or technical college.

In Hillsborough County, the adult obesity rate among blacks dropped 4.2 percent from 2002 to 2007, according to the department of health. Adult obesity rates increased among whites and Hispanics.

A combination of personal choices and social conditions is driving the uptick in obesity, researchers said.

In addition to the challenges posed by economic issues, people, in general, are consuming more calories and are less active, Marks said.

Restaurant portion sizes are bigger, as are soft drinks.

"People, when they have a larger size, will eat more," he said.

Jennifer Lozano of Tampa knows the challenges.

By the time she hit 240 pounds nearly five years ago, Lozano, 34, figured she had to start working out and eating better.

Steroids prescribed after a back injury and poor eating habits led to the weight gain. Then her employer, the Premiere Weight Loss Center, encouraged her to get healthy.

It took her eight months, but she eventually dropped 73 pounds.

"Cutting out the carbohydrates and sugars was the worst for me," Lozano said.

"After I got over the six-week hump, feeling like I needed sugar or bread, I was able to keep up with that even through my pregnancy."

At 167 pounds, the 5-foot-10 Lazano wants to lose another 12 pounds – and to encourage her 5-year-old daughter's healthy eating habits.

Among children 10 to 17, Florida is the 13th most obese state, according to data from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health.

Lozano's efferts appear to be working.

"She would rather have oranges or yogurt as opposed to sitting down with a pile of candy," Lozano said.

"I'm not saying I don't go back and have pasta or a bowl of ice cream with my child. It's just a treat; it's not something I can do everyday, that's for sure."

Worst adult obesity rates

Mississippi: 34.4 percent

Alabama: 32.3 percent

West Virginia: 32.2 percent

Tennessee: 31.9 percent

Louisiana: 31.6 percent

Best adult obesity rates

51. Colorado: 19.8 percent

50. Washington, D.C.: 21.7 percent

49. Connecticut: 21.8 percent

48. Massachusetts: 22.3 percent

47. Hawaii: 23.1 percent

29. Florida: 26.1 percent