The South is phat, er fat

Here's a top 10 list that North Carolina doesn't make.

And that's a good thing.

Unfortunately, many of our Southern neighbors have wound up on the list of the most obese states in the Union.

"The South tips the scales again as the nation's fattest region, according to a new government survey," says the AP.

"More than 30 percent of adults in each of the states tipped the scales enough to ensure that the South remains the nation's fattest region.

"Colorado was the least obese, with about 19 percent fitting that category in a random telephone survey last year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"The 2007 findings are similar to results from the same survey the three previous years. Mississippi has had the highest obesity rate every year since 2004. But Alabama, Tennessee, West Virginia and Louisiana have also clustered near the top of the list, often so close that the difference between their rates and Mississippi's may not be statistically significant. ..."

These are the 10 states with the highest levels of adult obesity, according to a 2007 survey by the Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention.
1. Mississippi, 32.0 percent
2. Alabama, 30.3
3. Tennessee, 30.1
4. Louisiana, 29.8
5. West Virginia, 29.5
6. Arkansas, 28.7
7. South Carolina, 28.4
8. Georgia, 28.2
9. Oklahoma, 28.1
10. Texas, 28.1

The article goes on to suggest fat-heavy and fried foods (you think?) may have something to do with it, in addition to the South having a "large concentration of rural residents and black women -- two groups that tend to have higher obesity rates."

North Carolina has its share of fatty, fried foods as well, no doubt. It's interesting that Virginia and North Carolina are not on the top 10 list. (Haven't seen the whole list; we could be No. 11 for all I know.) But perhaps a slightly higher-educated population, along with a migration to urban, metro areas may play into North Carolina not winding up on this top 10 list?