Is your state in the Flabby Fifteen? CDC knows; obesity growing, as only 5 states show declines

The map makes it clear: The states where adult obesity is the biggest problem are in the East South Central region, and the sveltest state is Colorado, according to the latest annual compliation of self-reported weight and height by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The most obese state is Mississippi, with 32 percent of its adult population having a Body Mass Index over 30. The rest of the Flabby Fifteen are Alabama (30.3), Tennessee (30.1) Louisiana (29.8) West Virginia (29.5), Arkansas (28.7), South Carolina (28.4), Georgia (28.2), Oklahoma (28.1), Texas (28.1), North Carolina (28.0), Michigan (27.7), Missouri (27.5), Delaware (27.4) and Kentucky (27.4). Colorado's rate is 18.7 percent. Kentucky, Louisiana, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia were the only states to see obesity rates decline in 2007.

The findings appear in the July 18 edition of CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Many states have county-by-county data, also based on surveys by the Behavorial Risk Factor Surveillance System. One example is the Kentucky Institute of Medicine's The Health of Kentucky: A County Assessment. It also includes data on lack of physical activity, often associated with obesity.

"The epidemic of adult obesity continues to rise in the United States, indication that we need to step up our efforts at the national, state and local levels," says Dr. William Dietz, director of the CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity. "We need to encourage people to ear more fruits and vegetables, engage in more physical activity and reduce the consumption of high-calorie foods and sugar-sweetened beverages in order to maintain a healthy weight." View the report here.