Two-Thirds Of Oklahomans Could Be Obese By 2030, New Study Says

The number of obese adults in Oklahoma is on track to reach 66.4 percent by 2030. According to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2011, 31.1 percent of adults in the state were obese.

Nationally, by 2030, 13 states could have adult obesity rates above 60 percent; 39 states could have rates above 50 percent, and all 50 states could have rates above 44 percent.

The report, "F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2012" was released Tuesday by Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The report states the number of obese adults, along with related disease rates and health care costs, is on course to increase dramatically in Oklahoma over the next 20 years.

The report says over the next 20 years, obesity in Oklahoma could contribute to:

512,801 new cases of type 2 diabetes

1,081,186 new cases of coronary heart disease and stroke

969,830 new cases of hypertension

620,784 new cases of arthritis

147,073 new cases of obesity-related cancer

By 2030, obesity-related health care costs in Oklahoma could climb by 10.8 percent.

The report says if BMIs [Body Mass Index] were lowered by 5 percent, Oklahoma could save 7.2 percent in health care costs, which would equate to savings of $7,444,000,000 by 2030.

The number of Oklahoma residents who could be spared from developing new cases of major obesity-related diseases includes:

110,522 people spared from type 2 diabetes

92,323 from coronary heart disease and stroke

77,423 from hypertension

44,816 from arthritis

7,128 from obesity-related cancer

The full report with state rankings in all categories is available on TFAH's website