California Ranks 30th Heaviest in the Country, According to a New Report That Finds America's Obesity Epidemic Is Getting Worse

Media Contacts: Laura Segal (202) 223-9870 x 278 or lsegal@tfah.org

Washington, D. C., Aug. 29, 2006 - California has adult obesity rates of 22.7 percent, ranking it the 30th heaviest in the nation, according to a new report by Trust for America's Health (TFAH). The report, F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in America, 2006, finds that government policy efforts have consistently failed to provide viable solutions to the growing obesity crisis.

Socioeconomics Explain Only Small Part of Major Racial/Ethnic/Gender Differences in Obesity

SAN FRANCISCO, California, September 28, 2006 — Californians vary widely when it comes to obesity rates, and only part of the disparity can be explained by the usual suspects – differing social and economic characteristics – according to a study released today by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC).

Adult obesity rates more than doubled in California between 1990 and 2003, surging from 10 percent to 20 percent among both sexes and among all racial and ethnic groups. Blacks are 65 percent – and Hispanics 45 percent – more likely to be obese than whites. Adults living below 200 percent of the federal poverty level are almost 40 percent more likely to be obese than the rest of the population.