Sunshine State skinny

Close to 25 percent of California adults are obese, but that number is nothin’ compared to most other states, according to an annual report released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Trust for America’s Health.

The report ranked California in the No. 40 spot in regard to the most obese states in the country. Researchers drew their conclusions after analyzing data from a behavioral risk-factor survey from the University of Michigan School of Public Health that focused on how Americans’ behaviors affect their health. The report also concluded that an additional 37 percent of Californians qualify as “overweight.” (Individuals with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher are considered obese, and those in the 25-to-29 range are considered overweight.)

For the first time this year, researchers examined how obesity rates have changed over the past 20 years, and found that obesity rates have doubled in seven states and increased by at least 90 percent in 10 others.

Mississippi took the No. 1 spot for most obese state, with a rate of almost 35 percent. Colorado was the least obese, and the only state with an obesity rate below 20 percent.