After 25 years of steady increases, obesity rates are down in four states, and mostly stable elsewhere. Kansas and Kentucky were the only two states with increases in the past year, according to a new report based on federal data.
While rates have plateaued in some places, researchers said they are still alarmingly high, with wide disparities from one part of the country to another. In Southeastern states, like Louisiana and Mississippi, more than 1 in 3 people were obese in 2015. But in Colorado, only 1 in 5 people were obese, with similar rates in neighboring West Coast states. In both areas, rates have more than doubled since 1990.
Use the timeline to see data in five-year intervals.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Why Trump’s Message Worked on Latino Men
- What Trump’s Win Could Mean for Housing
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- Sleep Doctors Share the 1 Tip That’s Changed Their Lives
- Column: Let’s Bring Back Romance
- What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid
- FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Contact us at letters@time.com