Projections released by Trust for America's Health give a whole new meaning to the term "big news."
According to a Tuesday Associated Press report, the advocacy group is predicting that "more than half the people in the vast majority of states will be obese" by the year 2030. In Mississippi, already the so-called fattest state in the country, 67 percent of adults will be obese by that year; that's nearly double the state's current obesity rate of 35 percent. (Rates in Minnesota would go from 26 percent to 55 percent by 2030, while those in Iowa would increase from 29 percent to 54 percent. The new rankings would place those states 30th and 31th in the nation, respectively.)
The AP reported the projections are based, in part, on state-by-state phone surveys by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, as well "as other national data tracking residents' weight and measurements" that were then adjusted "for how much people in each state might fudge the truth about their weight." Recent trends in obesity rates were also taken into account.
Among the other anecdotes in the report was the following: Medical costs will likely rise by $48 billion, to $66 billion, per year by 2030, according to Trust for America's Health. Given this estimate -- and an overall resentment to such initiatives as New York City's banning of supersize sugary drinks -- Americans must have their own good health in mind when considering their personal food and beverage choices. After all, you are what you eat.
