Kansas recently came in seventh in the nation in the rate of obesity.
And arecent editorial in the Garden City Telegram took the Sunflower State to task for its unhealthy ways. In the last year, Kansas has risen from 13th to seventh in the rankings. Thirty-five percent of adults in Kansas are obese, up from 31 percent last year. Kentucky was the only other state to see its residents grow more obese.
The rate of obesity in Kansas has doubled over the past twenty years. And, as the Telegram noted, $1.5 billion is spent annually in Kansas on obesity-related conditions like heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer. Obesity now rivals tobacco use in the amount of harm it wreaks on the nation’s health.
And it can be prevented, through encouraging young people to create good exercise and nutrition habits early in life.