Cranston Is Getting More Obese, Like the Rest of the Country

America’s epidemic of fatness extends all the way to Cranston, and obesity rates are increasing even faster in the area than in the rest of the state and much of the country.

More than one-third of all area men (34 percent) and women (36 percent) were obese in 2011 (the most recent data). Those obesity rates are up 10 percent and 8 percent, respectively, just since 2001. Using the map above, you can see the rate was only 23.9 percent for men and 28.1 percent for women in Providence County in 2001.

Obesity in the county increased at about the same rate as the rest of Rhode Island, with 9.4 percent more men and 8.1 percent more women tipping the scales into obesity in that period. Nationwide, the obesity rate increased 7.7 percent for men and 7.1 percent for women.

While the Providence County has the highest percentage of obese residents, other areas are doing their best to catch up. Kent County is beefing up the fastest. It saw an 8 percent increase in obese men and an 11 percent in obese women since 2001 for totals of 33.8 percent and 33.4 percent, respectively. 

Compared to other states, men and women in Rhode Island, collectively, are slightly slimmer than the national average. Obesity rates as of 2011 in the US were 33.8 percent of men and 36.1 percent of women. In total, more than one-third of the country is obese, the numbers show. In Rhode Island, the obesity rates are 32.9 percent for men and 33.6 percent for women.

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.

According to the CDC, obesity affects 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 percent 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. And if this rate continues to drop, Cranston might soon be reporting slimmer, healthier residents.