LAKELAND, Fla. — A Delaware based financial news and opinion company has named the Lakeland-Winter Haven metro area as the most obese in the state.
According to 24/7 Wall St., the area has an adult obesity rate of 35.3%. Their report found that 27.2% of adults in the area don't exercise, while 14.1% live with diabetes.
Additionally, the company says 20.3% of adults in the area reported feeling that they are in fair or poor health.
Florida: Lakeland-Winter Haven
- Obesity rate: 35.3% (city) 26.5% (state)
- Adults who do not exercise: 27.2% (city) 24.7% (state)
- Population with access to exercise venues: 82.2% (city) 87.9% (state)
- Adults with diabetes: 14.1% (city) 10.9% (state)
- Adults who report fair or poor health: 20.3% (city) 18.5% (state)
- Poverty rate: 16.0% (city) 14.0% (state)
The company says the national adult obesity rate is 30%, with only two of 382 total metro areas in the county with rates above 40%.
The company analyzed county-level data from the 2019 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps report to get their findings. You can read more on their methodology here.
"Adult obesity is identified in the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30kg/m2 or greater for adults 20 years and over," the company says on their website.
To see the company's rankings for the most obese city for every state, click here.
