America is busting out of its pants. So suggests a new ranking compiled as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, released last week, which finds that the average obesity rate in the nation's 10 fattest metro areas is 34.8 percent. That's compared to 15.9 percent in the 10 least obese areas, and an average of 26.1 percent nationwide. (Folks with a Body Mass Index (BMI)—a ratio of weight to height—of 30 or higher are considered obese.)
The weight problem is bad news for several reasons: People living in areas with the highest levels of obesity are "much more likely" to be diagnosed with chronic diseases like diabetes, high cholesterol, or depression. And Americans living in these areas fork over an estimated $1 billion a year more in healthcare costs than they would if their hometown obesity rates were lowered to 15 percent—a rate on par with the least obese areas.
[See America's 10 Least Obese Cities:]
So what are places like Topeka, Kan., and Reading, Pa., doing wrong? Four factors are to blame: limited access to fresh fruits and veggies; a lack of safe places to exercise; a lack of health insurance; and poverty that prevents residents from buying healthy food for themselves and their families. Here's a look at the 10 heaviest metro areas in America—all with obesity rates that eclipse the national average:
| 2011 Most Obese Metro Areas | ||
|---|---|---|
| Metro Area | % Obese | |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas | 38.8 | |
| Binghamton, N.Y. | 37.6 | |
| Huntington-Ashland, W.Va./Ky./Ohio | 36 | |
| Rockford, Ill. | 35.5 | |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas (tie) | 33.8 | |
| Charleston, W.Va. (tie) | 33.8 | |
| Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla. | 33.5 | |
| Topeka, Kan. | 33.3 | |
| Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, Wash. | 33.2 | |
| Reading, Pa. | 32.7 | |
| Source: Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index | ||
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