Obesity in Kentucky adults reaches all-time high

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – According to an annual report published by Trust for America’s Health, Kentucky is has the fifth highest rate of adult obesity in the United States.

In 2018 in the Commonwealth, 36.6% of adults were found to be obese, a 2.3% increase from the year before, marking the highest obesity rate the state has ever seen.

Local health officials attribute the rise in obesity levels to a lack of proper dieting and individuals not getting enough exercise on a daily and weekly basis.

The lack of healthy and cheap food options is especially a problem in the Bluegrass, another contributing factor in the rise in obesity levels.

“If you look at Bowling Green for example, we are probably the highest per capita in terms of restaurants to people,” said Dr. Onyeoziri Nwanguma of Med Center Health. “But most of the restaurants are fast-food restaurants. That definitely plays a part.”

Mississippi and West Virginia were tied for first with 39.5% of adults dealing with obesity.