Americans are gaining weight across the board

NEW YORK Over the last year, more Americans are obese, not less, according to a report by the non-profit groups Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The report shows that obesity rates among adults increased in 37 states, but no states experienced decreases. Also, the number of states in which more than a quarter of adults are obese increased from 19 to 28 over last year. By contrast, in 1991, the highest obesity rate in any state was 20 percent.

Most of the 15 fattest states are in the South, while the slimmest are in the West and Northeast.

The five states with the highest rates were Mississippi, West Virginia, Alabama, Louisiana and South Carolina. The states with the lowest rates were Colorado, Hawaii, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont.

Obesity is defined as a body-mass index of 30 or more.