Ohio Youth Among Most Obese In U.S., Study Finds

CLEVELAND — Ohio youth are among the most obese in the nation, according to a new study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The state's youth obesity rate is 17.1 percent, which means approximately 195,000 children in the Buckeye State are obese.

Nationally, about 4.8 million young people, between the ages of 10 and 17, are obese. Ohio has the 10th highest youth obesity rate in the nation, the study found. The youth obesity rate, of 17.1 percent, has held relatively steady over recent years.

Obesity can put kids at risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer, the RWJF said. Studies have found parents should hone in on preventing obesity early. One study found that five-year-olds who were overweight were four times more likely to be obese by age 14.

The study found that Black and Hispanic youth are more likely to battle obesity than their White and Asian peers.

“These differences by race, ethnicity, and geography did not happen by chance,” said Dr. Richard Besser, president of RWJF. “They are a result of discriminatory policies and systems that have been in place for decades. However, we have the power to change these outcomes and make our nation a more equitable society. The more we understand the barriers to good health, the more we can do to address them.”

Besser and his team had several policy recommendations to combat the obesity epidemic among American, and Ohio, youth. The RWJF researchers said SNAP benefits should not be peeled back for Americans. If the planned shift in eligibility for SNAP goes forward, more than 60,000 Ohioans could lose access to food.

The foundation also recommended maintaining healthy lunch standards for school meals, supplying more grants through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and USDA, and flexibility for local lawmakers to tax unhealthy food choices.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released its "State of Childhood Obesity: Helping All Children Grow Up Healthy" report on Thursday. The report uses data from the 2017 and 2018 National Survey of Children's Health, along with analysis done by the Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau.

Here are the study's rankings for youth obesity rate:

1. Mississippi - 25.4
2. West Virginia - 20.9
3. Kentucky - 20.8
4. Louisiana - 20.8
5. Michigan - 18.9
6. Oklahoma - 18.0
7. South Carolina - 17.9
8. Florida - 17.8
9. Pennsylvania - 17.4
10. Ohio - 17.1
11. New Mexico - 16.9
12. Tennessee - 16.7
13. Indiana - 16.6
14. Iowa - 16.4
15. Arkansas - 16.2
16. Alabama - 16.1
17. Georgia - 16.0
18. California - 15.6
19. Texas - 15.5
20. Delaware - 15.1
21. Vermont - 15.1
22. New Jersey - 15.0
23. Maine - 14.9
24. Maryland - 14.5
25. Massachusetts - 14.4
26. New York - 14.4
27. Washington, D.C. - 14.3
28. Illinois - 14.2
29. Wisconsin - 14.2
30. Rhode Island - 14.0
31. Nevada - 13.7
32. North Carolina - 13.5
33. North Dakota - 13.4
34. Arizona - 13.2
35. Virginia - 13.2
36. Idaho - 12.7
37. Missouri - 12.5
38. New Hampshire - 12.3
39. Kansas - 12.2
40. Nebraska - 12.0
41. South Dakota - 11.9
42. Wyoming - 11.8
43. Oregon - 11.7
44. Connecticut - 11.5
45. Hawaii - 11.5
46. Washington - 11.0
47. Montana - 10.8
48. Colorado - 10.7
49. Alaska - 9.9
50. Minnesota - 9.4
51. Utah - 8.7