Kentucky gets high marks in new obesity, overweight state ranking. It’s not good.
Kentucky is the fourth most obese and overweight state in the country, according to a new study and ranking conducted by WalletHub, a consumer finance company.
Kentucky was given a score of 69.05 on a 100-point scale used to determine the rankings. West Virginia was deemed the most obese and overweight state with a score of 73.78, followed by Mississippi at 71.77 and Arkansas at 69.53.
WalletHub also found that Kentucky ranked No. 1 in percentage of obese children and percentage of physically inactive adults. It ranked third in percentage of adults with high cholesterol, fifth in percentage of adults with hypertension, sixth in percentage of obese adults and eighth in percentage of adults with type two diabetes.
It also found that Kentucky’s most popular comfort food is a hot brown.
Hawaii, Massachusetts, Colorado, Utah and the District of Columbia were the five least obese states, all of which recorded a score of 46.1 or lower.
WalletHub evaluated 31 relevant metrics in the study, each of which had varying weights. The variables were categorized in three separate categories: obesity & overweight prevalence, health consequences and food & fitness.
Obesity & overweight prevalence was given the most weight in the point system with a possible 60 of the 100 point. Twenty-five of the possible points came from health consequences and the remaining 15 possible points came from food & fitness.
WalletHub used several sources in the survey, including the U.S. Census Bureau, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, The Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative, National Conference of State Legislatures and the Economic Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture.
WalletHub also found that Kentucky ranked No. 1 in percentage of obese childen and percentage of physically inactive adults. It ranked No. 6 in percentage of obese adults and No. 8 in percentage of adults with type two diabetes
It also found that Kentucky’s most popular comfort food is a hot brown.
A similar survey conducted by WalletHub back in March found that Lexington and Louisville both rank in the top 33 in the most obese and overweight cities in the U.S.
This story was originally published November 15, 2021 at 10:14 AM.
