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The State of Aging and Health in America Report
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Healthy Aging
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Healthy Aging Program
4770 Buford Highway, N.E., Mailstop K-45
Atlanta, GA 30341-3717

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Healthy Aging - Obesity

Indicator Summary

 

Obesity

  • This indicator measures the percentage of older adults who are obese.
  • Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater. BMI is calculated by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by his or her height in meters squared (kg/m2).
  • Older adults can benefit from maintaining a healthy body weight. Obesity is a risk factor for many chronic conditions, including 4 of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States — coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and several forms of cancer. Obesity also can worsen conditions such as arthritis, and it is associated with activity limitations and feelings of sadness and hopelessness.1
  • Call to Action:
Reference:
  1. Center on an Aging Society. Obesity among older Americans (Data Profile). Washington, DC: Georgetown University; 2003. Available at http://ihcrp.georgetown.edu/agingsociety/pubhtml/obesity2/obesity2.html Link: Exit Notification/Disclaimer Policy (accessed October 1, 2009).

2009 State-by-State Report Card
Obesity (%)

Make Comparisons
Healthy People 2010 Targets
Does not include territories
Location Data C.I.† Rank ‡ Grade §
United States 23.8 (23.4 – 24.2) ~ ~
Alabama 26.8 (24.0 – 29.6) 44 Lower Third (lowest performing 33%)
Alaska 31.2 (24.2 – 38.2) 51 Lower Third (lowest performing 33%)
Arizona 19.3 (16.5 – 22.0) 4 Upper Third (top performing 33%)
Arkansas 21.1 (18.6 – 23.6) 8 Middle Third (middle 33%)
California 22.3 (20.7 – 23.9) 18 Middle Third (middle 33%)
Colorado 18.7 (17.1 – 20.3) 3 Upper Third (top performing 33%)
Connecticut 20.8 (18.6 – 22.9) 5 Middle Third (middle 33%)
Delaware 27.6 (24.6 – 30.5) 47 Lower Third (lowest performing 33%)
District of Columbia 22.2 (19.3 – 25.1) 16 Middle Third (middle 33%)
Florida 21.4 (19.6 – 23.1) 9 Middle Third (middle 33%)
Georgia 24.8 (22.2 – 27.4) 34 Middle Third (middle 33%)
Hawaii 13.9 (11.9 – 15.9) 1 Upper Third (top performing 33%)
Idaho 21.7 (19.3 – 24.0) 11 Middle Third (middle 33%)
Illinois 24.7 (22.3 – 27.1) 31 Middle Third (middle 33%)
Indiana 26.8 (24.7 – 28.8) 44 Lower Third (lowest performing 33%)
Iowa 26.1 (23.8 – 28.3) 42 Lower Third (lowest performing 33%)
Kansas 25.5 (24.3 – 26.7) 37 Lower Third (lowest performing 33%)
Kentucky 25.3 (22.8 – 27.8) 36 Middle Third (middle 33%)
Louisiana 29.4 (27.3 – 31.5) 50 Lower Third (lowest performing 33%)
Maine 21.0 (19.1 – 22.8) 7 Middle Third (middle 33%)
Maryland 24.2 (21.9 – 26.6) 27 Middle Third (middle 33%)
Massachusetts 21.7 (20.0 – 23.4) 11 Middle Third (middle 33%)
Michigan 28.3 (26.4 – 30.2) 49 Lower Third (lowest performing 33%)
Minnesota 24.4 (22.2 – 26.6) 29 Middle Third (middle 33%)
Mississippi 27.7 (25.9 – 29.5) 48 Lower Third (lowest performing 33%)
Missouri 25.5 (22.8 – 28.3) 37 Lower Third (lowest performing 33%)
Montana 21.8 (19.7 – 23.8) 13 Middle Third (middle 33%)
Nebraska 25.8 (23.9 – 27.6) 40 Lower Third (lowest performing 33%)
Nevada 22.5 (19.1 – 25.8) 20 Middle Third (middle 33%)
New Hampshire 22.3 (20.0 – 24.5) 18 Middle Third (middle 33%)
New Jersey 23.6 (21.7 – 25.5) 23 Middle Third (middle 33%)
New Mexico 18.1 (16.2 – 19.9) 2 Upper Third (top performing 33%)
New York 22.2 (20.0 – 24.4) 16 Middle Third (middle 33%)
North Carolina 24.5 (22.4 – 26.7) 30 Middle Third (middle 33%)
North Dakota 25.8 (23.3 – 28.3) 40 Lower Third (lowest performing 33%)
Ohio 26.5 (24.5 – 28.4) 43 Lower Third (lowest performing 33%)
Oklahoma 23.9 (22.0 – 25.8) 25 Middle Third (middle 33%)
Oregon 22.0 (19.7 – 24.3) 15 Middle Third (middle 33%)
Pennsylvania 25.6 (23.6 – 27.6) 39 Lower Third (lowest performing 33%)
Rhode Island 21.8 (19.6 – 24.0) 13 Middle Third (middle 33%)
South Carolina 23.4 (21.2 – 25.6) 21 Middle Third (middle 33%)
South Dakota 25.2 (23.0 – 27.4) 35 Middle Third (middle 33%)
Tennessee 24.1 (21.6 – 26.6) 26 Middle Third (middle 33%)
Texas 23.8 (21.5 – 26.1) 24 Middle Third (middle 33%)
Utah 24.7 (22.6 – 26.7) 31 Middle Third (middle 33%)
Vermont 21.5 (19.5 – 23.5) 10 Middle Third (middle 33%)
Virginia 23.5 (20.6 – 26.5) 22 Middle Third (middle 33%)
Washington 24.7 (23.4 – 26.0) 31 Middle Third (middle 33%)
West Virginia 24.3 (21.9 – 26.6) 28 Middle Third (middle 33%)
Wisconsin 27.4 (23.9 – 30.9) 46 Lower Third (lowest performing 33%)
Wyoming 20.8 (18.8 – 22.8) 5 Middle Third (middle 33%)
   
Upper Third (top performing 33%) = Upper Third (top performing 33%)
Middle Third (middle 33%) = Middle Third (middle 33%)
Lower Third (lowest performing 33%) = Lower Third (lowest performing 33%)
   
† A confidence interval (CI) describes the level of uncertainty of an estimate and specifies the range in which the true value is likely to fall. The State of Aging and Health in America online report uses a 95% level of significance, which means that 95% of the time, the true value falls within these boundaries. When comparing prevalence of variables across states or years, we recommend the use of confidence intervals. If the confidence intervals overlap, the difference is not statistically significant.
   
‡ Rankings are based on the relative numeric scores for each indicator, with a ranking of "1" indicating the highest rank.
   
§ Grades are calculated as tertiles (thirds) and show state performance relative to all other states.
   
~ Data not available.
   
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