Community Corner
New Jersey Among the Fittest States, Report Says
The Garden State has one of the lowest adult obesity rates in the country, according to an annual study, but the future is uncertain.
New Jersey's government spending may be out of control, but its waistline isn't—at least, not for now.
The Garden State is among the fittest places in America, according to an annual report released Tuesday.
New Jersey's adult obesity rate of 23.7 percent–on par with the national average–tied with the District of Columbia for 47th place in the study by the nonprofit Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
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However, the report warned that if obesity rates continue on their current trajectories, by 2030, the obesity rate in New Jersey could reach 48.6 percent, more than double its current rate.
Mississippi's adult obesity rate of 34.9 percent is the highest in the country, according to the study.
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The report contends that states could prevent obesity-related diseases and dramatically reduce health care costs if they reduced the average body mass index of their residents by just 5 percent by 2030.
To read the full report, visit the Trust for America's Health's website.
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