Obesity (defined as being 30 kg over your preferred BMI) is a well-documented epidemic in the United States. With easy, inexpensive access to notoriously unhealthy foods, a cultural obsession with junk food, and an increasingly sedentary population; we've essentially cornered the market on making very fat people. The CDC calls American society an "obesogenic" society, one conducive to making obese people. A new study released by Trust for America's Health (TFAH) has compiled data from recent census reports, as well as from past records, to create a historical state-by-state sampling of cellulite's advance over the last 20 years. The study, F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2011, paints a pretty bleak picture. Despite increasing public awareness, health food trends, body-image fascination and a movement toward national wellness by celebrities, media, local organizations, and even the first lady; America is getting fatter quicker. One of the most startling statements? In 1991 no state in the union had an obesity rate over 15%, now in 2011 no state has an obesity rate under 15% and only Colorado has one under 20%. TFAH Director Jeff Levi observes, "Today, the state with the lowest rate would have had the highest rate in 1995."

     An incredibly 12 states have an obesity rate over 30%. That means that if you were to take any three people from the state randomly, and line them up side by side, one would likely be obese. Who's the fattest state? Mississippi has the largest population (by weight) in the country, with 34.4% of the adult population obese. In addition, the state boasts the country's highest childhood obesity rate, at 21.4%. Falling line behind Mississippi are Alabama, West Virginia, and Tennessee. Not only that but obesity rates are growing the fastest in Oklahoma, Alabama, and Tennessee, while they are growing the slowest in D.C., Colorado, and Connecticut (but they are growing).

     There are also some serious social implications when one looks more closely at the demographic data. Among individuals of minorities, low-income and the less educated obesity rates are significantly higher that among other groups. According to TFAH, here are a few of the most startling findings:

• Adult obesity rates for Blacks topped 40 percent in 15 states, 35 percent in 35 states, and 30 percent in 42 states and D.C.
• Rates of adult obesity among Latinos were above 35 percent in four states (Mississippi, North Dakota, South Carolina, and Texas) and at least 30 percent in 23 states.
• Meanwhile, rates of adult obesity for Whites topped 30 percent in just four states (Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and West Virginia) and no state had a rate higher than 32.1 percent.
• Nearly 33 percent of adults who did not graduate high school are obese, compared with 21.5 percent of those who graduated from college or technical college.
• One in 3 individuals making less than $15,000 a year are obese, compared to 1 in 4 that make $50,000 a year.

     Obesity leads to a wide range of health problems that often occur simultaneously in obese individuals. Heart disease, stroke, hyper-tension, and adult-onset diabetes (Type 2) and a host of other health issues are potentially deadly to the individual, expense in terms of health costs to treat and monitor, and since obesity is over-represented among people in poverty that cost is often passed on to society. However, we have a a very conflicted relationship with obesity in America. On one hand there is a movement that attempts to end discrimination against the obese, altering entrances and access to buildings, the way in which planes and automobiles are organized, even hotel bathrooms; all in an effort to make super-sized individuals more comfortable. On the other hand, we treat obesity as the "epidemic" it's so often described to be, which explains the popularity of television programs as Biggest Loser, support groups like Over Eaters Anonymous, and the vibrant diet and exercise industry, and major movements like Michelle Obama's war on childhood obesity.

     The truth is the obesity is a disability, but often it's not a terminal one like wounded soldiers or those crippled by childhood disease. It is, however, a widespread health issue that has infiltrated almost every layer of American society; businesses create addictive concoctions of salt, fat, and sweetness to increase consumer interest at the cost of consumer health, infrastructure and communities that encourage a commuter culture and a sedentary lifestyle, and a population that has adopted an increasingly unhealthy cultural heritage each generation (I ate McDonald's once a week as a kid, and that was totally normal at the time). Ultimately, we're going to need to change many facets of our culture; government regulations, social emphasis on exercise and nutrition, and movement toward healthier lifestyles are all necessary in combating such a widespread threat to public health.