Americans Getting Fat Especially in the South

According to certain sources, Obesity rates climbed again last year with 28 U.S. states reporting adults are fatter now than a year ago. The District of Columbia was the only place where obesity rates fell.

Advocacy groups have said that dealing with this epidemic should be a vital part of reforming healthcare in the United States. According to Jeffrey Levi, director of Trust for America's Health, "Obesity is one of the biggest public health challenges the country has ever faced, and troubling disparities exist based on race, ethnicity, region, and income."

Levi said the United States has taken "bold steps" to address obesity but the response has yet to translate into thinner waistlines, particularly in Southern states.

The annual obesity ranking says that 10 out of the top 11 obese states are from the South and Mississippi has topped the ranking for the sixth time in a row.

According to the data related to the ranking about 25 percent of adults in 38 states are obese.

Some signs of improvement were also noted in the report, including provisions in the new health reform law for disease prevention and wellness, a White House Task Force on child obesity outlining steps federal agencies can take, and the "Let's Move" initiative launched by First Lady Michelle Obama that aims to solve childhood obesity within a generation.

Being overweight or obese is known to raise the risk of heart disease, diabetes, some cancers, arthritis and other conditions.