Lowest Obesity Levels in Rocky Mountain State for Third Year in a Row

According to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, Colorado is the only state in the nation that has obesity levels below 20%, making it the least obese state since 2010. On the other hand, West Virginia boasts the highest obesity rate, with 33.5% of residents surveyed reporting that they are obese. This is more than 7% higher than the national average of 26.2%. With the exception of four states, there was little change in obesity levels from 2011 to 2012. Delaware was the only state that experienced a slight decrease in obesity levels while obesity rates increased in Georgia, New Jersey, and North Carolina.

As expected, Colorado also had the lowest rates of high blood pressure with only 22% of residents reporting high blood pressure, followed by 23.8% of Minnesotans, and 24.6% of Wyoming residents. West Virginia had the highest level of high blood pressure in the country, with 39.7% of residents reporting high blood pressure, followed by 38.4% if Mississippi residents, and 36.4% of residents in Alabama.

Additionally, many of the states with the lowest obesity levels and lowest rates of high blood pressure also had the lowest diabetes rates. Only 6% of Alaskans reported that they were suffering from diabetes, followed by 7.4% Colorado residents, and 8.1% of Montana residents.  In Mississippi, 15.4% of residents surveyed reported that they had diabetes, marking the highest diabetes rate for any state. West Virginia came in a close second, with 15.2% of residents suffering from diabetes, followed by 13.6% of residents in Alabama.

U.S. Diabetes Rate Reverses Course, Declines in 2011

Recent survey data from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index indicates that the U.S. diabetes rate has decreased in 2011, reversing an upward trend that characterized the previous two years. In the third quarter of this year, 11 percent of Americans reported having diabetes, up from 10.6 percent in this year's second quarter, but still "among the lowest levels recorded since 2009." According to Gallup, "The diabetes rate was below 11% throughout 2008, but then began to increase in 2009 and 2010." 11.5 percent of Americans reported having diabetes before January of this year.

The declining diabetes rate mirrors a decline in the percentage of Americans who are obese. Gallup comments: "The obesity rate, which has a well-established relationship with the most common form of diabetes -- Type 2 -- also declined slightly in the second and third quarter of this year, with somewhat lower levels in 2011 compared with 2010."

As the percentage of Americans who are obese declines, so should the percentage of Americans with Type 2 diabetes. "Gallup has found that obese Americans are nearly three times as likely to report having been diagnosed with diabetes as those who are not obese, and that states with the highest obesity rates have much higher diabetes levels than those with the lowest obesity rates."

There is no cure for diabetes, so any decrease in its prevalence should reflect "fewer new cases and a reduction in old cases through mortality." If Americans continue to lose weight, it is likely that a smaller percentage of them will get Type 2 diabetes, and the U.S. diabetes rate will continue to fall.