Report: Obesity rate could nearly double in Ohio by 2030

A new report estimates that the adult obesity rate in Ohio could more than double by 2030 to 59.8 percent (Source: "Obesity rates expected to rise dramatically in Ohio by 2030," Cleveland Plain Dealer, Sept. 18, 2012).

The report, F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2012, is the latest annual report on obesity from the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This is the first year the report includes state-by-state projections of obesity rates in 2030.

Ohio's current obesity rate is 30.9 percent, according to the report.

The report also projects the impact of a 5 percent reduction in BMI. In Ohio, such a reduction would save 7.6 percent in health care costs, or $26.3 billion, by 2030.

“This study shows us two futures for America’s health,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, RWJF president and CEO. “At every level of government, we must pursue policies that preserve health, prevent disease and reduce health care costs. Nothing less is acceptable.”