Photo Credit: iVillage
If you live down south, odds are you’re probably struggling with a weight problem. Women in Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Arkansas and Tennessee are more likely to be overweight or obese than anywhere else in the country. In Mississippi, a staggering 65 percent of women are either overweight or obese. That means nearly two of every three women in the state is either overweight or obese.
On the other end of the spectrum, women in Hawaii, Colorado, Nevada, Utah and Massachusetts have the healthiest weights in America.
The weight of the nation is a huge problem for obvious reasons. The more body fat you have, the greater your risk of some pretty scary problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, gall stones, breathing problems and colon, breast, endometrial and gall bladder cancers.
Here’s how the states rank when it comes to the percentage of women who are either overweight or obese: #1 is the state with the fewest women who are overweight or obese, and #50 is the state where the most women are struggling with their weight. The numbers are percentages of overweight and obese women
| Rank | State | % |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | 47.4 |
| 2 | Colorado | 47.6 |
| 2 | Nevada | 47.6 |
| 4 | Utah | 48.2 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 49.2 |
| 6 | Connecticut | 49.9 |
| 7 | Vermont | 51.2 |
| 8 | Minnesota | 52.3 |
| 9 | Oregon | 52.7 |
| 10 | Montana | 52.9 |
| 11 | New Jersey | 53 |
| 12 | Washington | 53.7 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | 53.8 |
| 14 | Idaho | 54.2 |
| 15 | New Mexico | 54.3 |
| 16 | Rhode Island | 54.5 |
| 17 | California | 54.8 |
| 18 | Wyoming | 54.9 |
| 19 | New York | 55.4 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | 55.5 |
| 21 | Arizona | 56.5 |
| 21 | Florida | 56.5 |
| 23 | Maine | 56.6 |
| 24 | Delaware | 57 |
| 24 | Kansas | 57 |
| 24 | South Dakota | 57 |
| 24 | Virginia | 57 |
| 28 | Nebraska | 57.3 |
| 29 | Illinois | 57.5 |
| 30 | North Dakota | 57.9 |
| 31 | Iowa | 58.1 |
| 31 | Missouri | 58.1 |
| 33 | Pennsylvania | 58.5 |
| 34 | Georgia | 58.7 |
| 34 | Ohio | 58.7 |
| 36 | Maryland | 59 |
| 37 | North Carolina | 59.3 |
| 37 | Texas | 59.3 |
| 39 | Indiana | 59.5 |
| 40 | Louisiana | 60.9 |
| 41 | West Virginia | 61.1 |
| 42 | Kentucky | 61.3 |
| 43 | Alaska | 61.4 |
| 43 | Michigan | 61.4 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | 61.4 |
| 46 | Tennessee | 62.1 |
| 47 | Arkansas | 62.6 |
| 48 | South Carolina | 63.1 |
| 49 | Alabama | 64.2 |
| 50 | Mississippi | 65 |
