Nearly Three in Ten Wisconsin Adults is Obese

The number of Wisconsin residents who are obese has reached a new high. Nearly three of every ten adults in the state are now classified as obese.

Each year, state health departments use standard telephone interview questions to collect data on the height and weight of adults in the United States. According to the newest data just released by the U.S> Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Wisconsin’s obesity rate is 29 percent. That’s in addition to the 36 percent of Wisconsin adults who are overweight, but not to the extent of being obese.

These estimates are especially troubling because they are continuing to increase year by year. The estimated percent of adults who were obese in Wisconsin was 16 percent in 1995, 20 percent in 2000, 24 percent in 2005 and 29 percent in 2009.

These data show the importance of nutrition in planning for public health and community education programs. “Adequate, appropriate and safe food and nutrition” has been pegged as one of the 12 focus areas in Wisconsin’s newest state health plan.

Source: Susan Nitzke, Professor and Nutrition Specialist, Nutritional Sciences, UW-Madison