Recently released data from the CDC shows that while Colorado is still one of the least obese states in the country, it can no longer claim the number one spot.

In 2020, it was estimated that 24.2 percent of Coloradans were obese. New data shows that in 2021, that number jumped to 25.1 percent. Not only does this mean that obesity has risen in Colorado over the past year, this also means that Colorado now has a higher share of obese residents compared to Hawaii. While Hawaii also saw a recent uptick from its obesity rate of 24.5 percent in 2020, its jump to 25 percent puts the Aloha State’s obesity rate just under that of the Centennial State.

Colorado’s 2021 obesity rate of 25.1 percent compares to an obesity rate of 20.7 percent in 2011, another year when Colorado was the least-obese state in the country. Colorado has held the title of ‘least obese state’ since at least then, according to CDC data, until this year.

While Hawaii was the only state with a lower share of obese residents compared to Colorado, Washington DC is where the least obesity was found in the country in 2021. The obesity rate in the nation’s capitol was 24.7 percent.

While Colorado is known to be a healthy state, this rise in obesity may be concerning to some. Obesity is known to have a negative effect on overall health, with a 2017 study showing that three of four patients in the US healthcare system were overweight or obese based on BMI (75 percent). The data used in this study came from 2015, when 63.6 percent of US adults were considered to be overweight or obese.

According to Harvard, “excess weight, especially obesity, diminishes almost every aspect of health, from reproductive and respiratory function to memory and mood. Obesity increases the risk of several debilitating, and deadly diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. It does this through a variety of pathways, some as straightforward as the mechanical stress of carrying extra pounds and some involving complex changes in hormones and metabolism. Obesity decreases the quality and length of life, and increases individual, national, and global healthcare costs.”

Read more about obesity from the Harvard School of Public Health here.

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