Wisconsin’s obesity rate went up by almost two percent from a year ago, bringing the state’s population within striking distance of a 30 percent obesity rate.
A report from the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation said 29.8 percent of Wisconsinites are obese, up from just under 28 percent last year. Being obese means having a body mass index of 30 or above. Those with indexes of 25 to 30 are overweight, and about a third of Wisconsin adults fall into that category. There are 21 states with obesity rates higher than the Badger State’s.
UW-Madison associate public health dean Patrick Remington says it’s shocking that so many Wisconsinites are obese. Back in 1990, only about 20 percent of state adults were obese. That was about two-thirds of today’s rate — but at the time, Remington said Wisconsin was the most obese state in the nation. Still, he takes no comfort in knowing that other states have worse obesity rates than Wisconsin.