The adult obesity rate is at or above 35% in seven states and at least 30% in 29 states, according to the most recent Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data issued by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The rates increased in Iowa, Massachusetts, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and South Carolina between 2016 and 2017, and remained stable in the rest of states.

Obesity is an ever-increasing problem in American society. Currently, up to one third of the U.S. population is considered obese, defined as a body mass index greater than 30. Many studies have found a direct link between increased BMI and foot problems.

World Obesity Day – yesterday – prompted calls from the American Heart Association (AHA) and organizations from many nations to urge all levels of government to increase their investments to improve nutrition and increase physical activity.

The food industry is cheering and health experts are jeering the USDA’s announcement on Friday that it is proposing to push new nutrition label requirements back by a year and a half.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is reminding Americans that being overweight increases the risk of developing diabetes and high blood pressure, the two most common causes of chronic kidney disease (CKD). People affected by obesity have an 83 percent higher risk of developing CKD compared to those who have a healthy weight.

New USC research finds that children with asthma are 51 percent more likely to become obese over the next decade compared to kids who did not have respiratory condition. The study, published on Jan. 20 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, also indicated that children who used asthma inhalers when they had an attack were 43 percent less likely to become obese.

A new CDC study demonstrates that Americans living in rural areas are more likely to die from five leading causes than their urban counterparts. In 2014, many deaths among rural Americans were potentially preventable, including 25,000 from heart disease, 19,000 from cancer, 12,000 from unintentional injuries, 11,000 from chronic lower respiratory disease, and 4,000 from stroke.

A new study suggests that an ability to delay immediate gratification is associated with less frequent consumption of fast food. The study, which appears early online in Preventive Medicine has public health significance since away-from-home eating, and fast food consumption in particular, contribute to obesity in the United States.

Bariatric surgery and other treatments that cause substantial weight loss can significantly reduce the risk of heart failure in obese patients, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2016.