The annual ranking of states by obesity rate is out, following the CDC s release this Monday of 2011 data. But before we get into the best and worst of the rankings (which have stayed just about the same in relation to one another), let us point out that the more critical part of the story is the skepticism that s been raised about the CDC s method of data collection. That is, as the Boston Globe s Deborah Kotz points out, it looks like there s some under-reporting going on.
The national obesity rate, based on body mass index (BMI) measurements reported by doctors, is about 36 percent. Yet somehow the CDC survey data, which is based on self-reporting, puts the national obesity rate at 27 percent. What s to account for this significant difference? Kotz recalls a 2010 study finding that overweight Americans today are less likely to classify themselves as being overweight than they were 20 years ago. She speculates that this may be due to the fact that being heavy is the new norm: With only one-third of Americans at a healthy body weight, it s hard to think we re abnormally heavy if all of our friends are as well.
Thus, while it may be true that Colorado, Hawaii, and Massachusetts have the lowest obesity rates in the nation, their respective rates of 20.7, 21.8, and 22.7 percent may not be entirely accurate. Similarly, Mississippi s 34 percent obesity rate could be even higher.
Referring to research published last year in the Archives of Internal Medicine, Kotz notes that patients whose doctors actually tell them they need to lose weight are much more likely to correctly identify themselves as overweight or obese. Such patients are also more likely to attempt to lose weight through diet and exercise. Yet the same study also found that more than half of overweight respondents (BMI 25 to 30) and a third of those who were obese (BMI 30 or higher) said they had never discussed their weight with their physician.
It s a doctor s responsibility to raise the issue with their patients, says ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross. Sure, people need to take responsibility for their own health, but a doctor s acknowledgment of obesity should be common practice.