For the first time in more than a decade, the number of states with them has increased Obesity rates The percentage fell by 35% or more, an encouraging sign that America’s overweight epidemic may be improving. But it cuts to Federal employees and programs That treats chronic diseases could jeopardize this progress, according to a new report released Thursday.
Nineteen states had obesity rates at 35% or higher in 2024, down from 23 states the year before, according to an analysis of the latest data compiled by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC data was analyzed by the nonprofit group Trust for America’s Health.
Group A analysis follows CDC report last year It found that the overall rate of obesity in the United States is high but stable, affecting about 40% of the population.
Although this decline is positive, it is “too early to call it a trend,” said Dr. Nadine Gracia, president and CEO of TFAH.
And with recent cuts in federal funding, layoffs and program cancellations, “this potential progress is also at risk,” Gracia said.
A spokesperson for the US Department of Health and Human Services said in an email that the administration is “encouraged by new data showing progress in the fight against obesity.”
“We are restructuring public health programs to eliminate waste, reduce bureaucracy, and redirect resources toward true prevention,” said spokesman Andrew Nixon.
The latest report analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2024 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which uses annual telephone surveys to collect data on health behaviors and chronic conditions in U.S. states and territories.
It showed that 19 states had adult obesity rates of 35% or higher, 22 states had rates between 30% and 35%, and nine states had obesity rates below 30%. Rates ranged from a low of 25% in Colorado to a high of more than 40% in West Virginia.
The report found that between 2023 and 2024, no state saw statistically significant increases or decreases in its obesity rates, after 18 states saw significant increases in the previous five years.
Before 2013, no state had an adult obesity prevalence of 35% or higher, and by 2019, rates were high in a dozen states — and the number has continued to rise.
In adults, obesity is defined as a body mass index of 30 or higher. BMI is a calculation based on height and weight. Obesity is a chronic disease associated with a range of serious health problems including diabetes, stroke, cancer and heart disease.
It is not clear exactly what might lead to the apparent improvement in obesity. Wider use of drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound — which target appetite and slow digestion — could start to show up in the reported data, said Aviva Musicos, scientific director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, an advocacy group. She suggested that increased support for food assistance programs during the COVID-19 pandemic may also be a factor.
The report also details a wide range of federal, state and local efforts focused on improving nutrition and promoting physical activity, said Solveig Cunningham, a global health expert at Emory University who specializes in obesity.
“I think the report will argue that some of these interventions may actually be successful,” said Cunningham, who was not involved in the research. “This might suggest that there may be ways in which we can prevent obesity at a population level, which would be really big.”
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