Map: Obesity in L.A. County, California Up from 2001 to 2011

Obesity is responsible for over 300,000 US deaths annually. Find out how fat L.A. County is compared to others in the California and U.S.

Obesity rates in counties across California increased from 2001 to 2011 and L.A. County was no different, with a 3.1 percent increase during that period for men and a 5.7 percent increase for women.

While nobody would call that good news for L.A. County residents, the news was slightly better for men, whose 3.1 percent increase was well below the average increase in the prevalence of obesity for men across California, which was 5.3 percent.

By contrast, the prevalence of obesity among L.A. County women from 2001 to 2011 was above the statewide average increase of 5.5 percent.
In total, 29.4 percent of California men and 32.9 percent of California women are estimated to be obese, compared to 27.1 percent and 33.7 percent in L.A. County.

Fortunately for both county and state residents, obesity is still less prevalent both in L.A. County and California compared to the nation as a whole, where 33.8 of men and 36.1 of women are estimated to be obese.

The county figures on the map were obtained from a recent study from the University of Washington, which found that nationwide women are more obese than their male counterparts.
In 2011, obesity prevalence for both genders in the U.S. ranged from 20.7% in Colorado to 34.9% in Mississippi, according to the CDC.
According to the CDC, obesity affects more than one-third of adults, or 35.7 percent of the population in the United States. Obesity is calculated by measuring a person’s height and weight, and deriving at a ratio called the body mass index, or BMI. This number often correlates to an individual’s amount of body fat, and is used to ascertain whether a person is considered underweight, a normal weight, overweight or obese.

Obese individuals have a 50-100% increased risk of premature death, and it’s estimated that obesity may be the cause of 300,000 deaths per year according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Interestingly, Americans claim to be exercising more during the same time period that obesity climbed. “Around the country, you can see huge increases in the percentage of people becoming physically active, which research tells us is certain to have health benefits,” said IHME Director Dr. Christopher Murray in a press release. Murray added that “If communities in the US can replicate this success and tackle the ongoing obesity impact, it will see more substantial health gains.”
The good news is that there may be silver lining to America’s fat epidemic. While we’re still getting fatter, at least it’s happening at a slower rate than in past years.