Methodology

For the analysis, Wallet Hub compared the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia on 31 metrics across three key dimensions:

• Obesity and overweight prevalence, which includes the share of overweight or obese adults, teenagers, and children in a state (60 points)
• Health consequences, which includes the share of adults with high cholesterol or type 2 diabetes and obesity-related healthcare costs (25 points)
• Food and fitness, which includes the percentages of adults eating less than one serving of fruits or vegetables a day, the share of physically inactive adults, consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among adolescents, and more (15 points)

Each metric was scored on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most overweight state. WalletHub used a weighted average to calculate a state's overall score, which was then used to order each state.

Where states ranked

Based on overall score, West Virginia is the most overweight state while Colorado is the least overweight state. 

WalletHub also ranked the states by how they performed in each of the three dimensions:

• West Virginia ranked the worst for obesity and overweight prevalence while Colorado ranked the best
• West Virginia ranked the worst for health consequences while Hawaii ranked the best
• North Carolina ranked the worst for food and fitness and the District of Columbia ranked the best

Advisory Board's weight-related resources

According to CDC data, more than 70% of U.S. adults ages 20 and older are either overweight or obese. Obesity is also prevalent among children, with rates growing between 17.7% and 21.5% over the last decade.

As obesity rates continue to rise, so will healthcare costs. Currently, obesity costs the U.S. healthcare system $173 billion every year.  

To help address the growing weight-related issues in healthcare, Advisory Board offers several resources on different topics, including:

­GLP-1 drugs

Interest in new weight-loss drugs, including Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's recently approved Zepbound, has surged this year, leading to record sales — as well as supply shortages as manufacturers struggle to keep up with demand.

Advisory Board's Chloe Bakst and Rachael Peroutky recently shared their insights on how GLP-1 shortages might impact healthcare and what leaders can do in the meantime.

Radio Advisory's Rachel Woods has also covered GLP-1 drugs on the podcast, discussing the potential future of these drugs and how they could help — or hurt — health systems' finances.

Other useful resources include the expert insights "5 catalysts that will impact the future of weight management drugs," and "What the headlines get wrong about weight management medications."

Bariatric surgery

Last year, the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders updated guidelines for weight-loss surgery, expanding eligibility for more people.

Under the new guidelines, anyone with a BMI over 35, regardless of whether they have any health problems, is eligible for weight loss surgery. People with a BMI over 30, which is the official definition of obesity, are also eligible if they have not been able to achieve substantial or long-term weight loss.

This expert insight outlines three barriers to bariatric surgery and how to overcome them. For patients considering bariatric surgery, this resource offers three factors they should keep in mind while they decide.

Healthcare's approach to obesity

Recently, healthcare organizations have made an effort to move away from using BMI to determine obesity and assess health. In June, the American Medical Association voted to adopt a new policy that moves away from using BMI alone when assessing whether a patient is at a healthy weight.

Some physicians are also looking beyond BMI and people's weight as they assess their health and recommend treatments. Rather than focusing on weight loss as a way to treat health issues, some providers are now taking a "weight-neutral" approach that avoids intentional weight loss.

In a recent Radio Advisory episode, Rachel Woods and Advisory Board experts Darby Sullivan and Chloe Bakst discussed healthcare's current approach to obesity and whether it is helping or harming patients.

Similarly, this expert insight covers three missteps in our current approach to obesity and outlines five potential ways providers can address these issues. (McCann, WalletHub, 11/13; Gamble, Becker's Hospital Review, 11/13)

Recent breakthroughs in obesity management medications have put a spotlight on the weight management field. Here's how industry leaders can use this turning point to address three key missteps in our current approach and advance health outcomes for higher weight patients.