It’s that time of year again, for these great States to look in the mirror and hate themselves! In other words, the Trust for America’s Health has ranked every state of the nation (plus D.C.) according to its rate of obesity—that is, how many people there boast a BMI of 30 or greater. Forget that first place Mississippi and other Southern-fried states filled some of the top spots, and that the granola-eating, mountain-climbing hippies of Colorado made it the leanest state once again. Forget that this study marks the first time obesity was measured among 10 to 17 year-olds, shaming the teens of first place D.C. while giving their Utah counterparts a gratuitous boost in self-esteem. Forget, even, that the five most ethnic poorest states wound up in the top 10 most obese. (We swear bean burritos are slimming.) Just keep in mind this little tidbit about the way data were gathered over the phone:

The data come from a survey of height and weight taken over the telephone. Because the information comes from a personal estimate, some believe it is conservative.

Conservative, huh? No wonder Texas didn’t rank higher than twelfth.

Obesity rates climb in most states [Chicago Tribune]
State obesity rates and rankings [Associated Press]