You gotta love a report titled, "F as in Fat." Published annually by the Trust for America's Health (burp!) the report ranks states on a number of obesity-related measures:
- 25.9% of Alaskans are obese, and 64.9% are overweight or obese compared to 68% nationwide.
- In Alaska 23.9% of men and 28.1% of women are obese.
- 5.9% of Alaskan adults have diabetes, tied with Colorado for the lowest rate.
- 22.8% of Alaskan adults are physically inactive, rank 33rd.
- 24.3% of Alaskans have hypertension, ranked 48th.
These are mixed numbers to be sure, and they vary considerably by race although the margin of error for the minority samples in Alaska are very high. Policies and programs are looked at as well, and Alaska is generally portrayed in the study as lacking most best-practice efforts to curb obesity and related health problems.
On a very positive note, the report says that although only 13.3% of mothers in America are breastfeeding through six months, in Alaska that rate was 23.7% in 2007, the second highest rate in the nation, just behind Oregon.
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