A recent analysis of data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found Iowa ranks as one of the most obese states in the country. The study was conducted by Total Shape, an online fitness resource, and found an estimated 47.64 percent of Iowans live with some form of obesity, landing Iowa in eighth place. The team analyzed data from the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from 2019 to 2021. For the study’s purposes, they tabulated the percent of the population with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30, which is considered the lower limit for category 1 obesity. West Virginia took the unwanted top place with 51.05 percent of their population considered obese, followed closely by Mississippi at 51.02 percent, and Alabama at 49.85 percent. Colorado claimed the title of the most fit state, with only 34.06 percent of Coloradans living with obesity, followed by Massachusetts at 35.47 percent, and Hawaii at 35.83 percent.
