Obesity in Wisconsin

15

Wisconsin’s national obesity ranking – 15th most obese state in the nation. Mississippi ranked as the most obese of the 50 states, with 35.4 percent of the population with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or more.

17.6

Percentage of people ages 18 to 25 who are obese.

29

Percentage of children 2 to 4 years old and covered by the WIC program who are overweight or obese.

29.7

Percentage of Wisconsin adults who are obese. By gender, it is 29.6 percent of the state’s men and 29.8 percent of the state’s women.

56.3

The estimated percentage of overweight Wisconsinites in 2030 if rates continue on their current trajectory, according to an analysis conducted by the National Heart Forum.

60

The estimated percentage of obese children who will become obese adults.

1,478,205

Projected number of new obesity-related hypertension cases among Wisconsin residents in the next 20 years. There would also be 708,716 new cases of obesity-related type-2 diabetes, 1,579,761 new cases of coronary heart disease and stroke, 958,720 new cases of arthritis and 223,559 new cases of obesity-related cancer.

$1.5 billion

Estimated annual economic cost of obesity-related medical expenses in Wisconsin.

$12 billion

The estimated savings in health care costs in the next 20 years if Wisconsin residents lowered their BMI by five percent.

Sources: F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future, a project of the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; Centers for Disease Control; National Heart Forum.