Statewide Obesity Rate Continues Rise
California, long the nation’s most populous state, is growing in another way as well: In the general size of each resident.
According to a new study by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, nearly a quarter of the Golden State’s adult residents -- 24.8% -- were considered obese in 2012. That’s up from 19.8% a decade ago.
Altogether, nearly 18 milion of the state’s adults and adolescents are classified as overweight, with a body mass index of 25 or greater, or obese, with a body mass of 30 or greater. A total of 7.4 million Californians can be classified as obese.
The data was gathered through the use of the California Health Interview Survey.
Obesity can cause a passel of health problems, to heart disease and congestive heart failure, adult onset diabetes, and other conditions that can drive up healthcare costs while raising morbidity and mortality rates.
“Healthy eating requires a combination of money, time and resources, which not everyone has,” said Joelle Wolstein, a research scientist at the UCLA Center and lead author of the study. “Obesity results from a complex web of factors. Can you get fresh vegetables nearby? If not, can you get to the store? Is there a safe place to exercise nearby?”
The obesity rates varied widely throughout California. The lowest rate, 11.3% was in San Francisco County. Its obesity rate actually dropped 0.2% since the last survery was taken in 2001 -- and after a huge influx of wealth into the region from the technology boom.
Imperial County east of the San Diego area, had a rate of 41.7%. The mostly rural and agricultural regions is one of the poorest in the state, and its obesity rate was up from 29% in 2001.
The study noted that 31% percent of adult Californians with incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level were obese. By contrast, among those residents with incomes above four times the poverty level, the obesity rate was only 20%.
However, the data also suggested that obesity was more prevalent among Californians who drank more sodas and consumed more fast food compared to those who consumed more fruit and vegetables, although access to the latter was often linked to income.
The other counties with the highest obesity rates were all rural and mostly isolated counties in Northern California and the San Joaquin Valley.
Santa Clara County, home to Silicon Valley, had an obesity rate of 19.3%, up from 15.5% in 2001.
Orange County, another urban and relatively wealthy region in Southern California, had an adult obesity rate of 23.2%, up from 14.8% But adjoining Los Angeles County, which is relatively poor in comparison, had a rate of 24.7%, just slightly better than the statewide average.
