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Fatness Survey: 1 In 4 New Yorkers Are Obese

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- In New York, one in four residents are obese, a new study finds.

The annual report released Thursday by Trust For America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found two-thirds of adults in America and nearly one-third of children and teenagers are obese or overweight.

It found that 38 states now have obesity rates above 25 percent. In 1995, no state had an obesity rate above 20 percent.

1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria reports: Why Are We Getting Bigger? 

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New York has the 11th lowest obesity rate in the country with the number of obese adults down to 24.7 percent of the population from 25.1 percent.

The combined obesity and overweight rate is 60.6 percent, up from 54.1 percent in 2001, the survey found.

The diabetes rate has risen to 8.7 percent from 4.7 percent in 1995 and the hypertension rate to 27.1 percent from 22 percent.

While there are glimmers of stabilization, Dr. Bill O'Malley views the fatness trend in New York as decidedly bleak.

"As a policy, I'm not sure how we can affect this,'' O'Malley says. "People are free to make food choices as they are with other choices.''

New Jersey has the 9th lowest in the country with an adult obesity rate of 24.1 percent.

But its obesity rate has swollen by 90 percent in 15 years. More than 3 in 5 New Jersey adults are overweight or obese.

LINK: Calculate Your Body Mass Index

Connecticut has the third lowest obesity rate in the country with 21.8 percent.

So which state was named the most obese in the study? That award goes to Mississippi with an adult obesity rate is 34.4 percent.

Colorado was named the least obese state in the country with a rate of only 19.8 percent.

New Yorkers have their own theories about why our waistlines are growing.

One woman believes there are too many temptations, especially with all the fast food restaurants on the streets, and counting calories isn't as easy as it seems.

A tourist from Colorado believes the problem in New York is the environment.

"The weather here presents some type of challenge when, four or five months out of the year - like last year, with all the snow that was here people probably didn't get out and exercise as much as they would have," he said.

What do you think of the study? Sound off below in our comments section... 

(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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