ARKANSAS (KNWA/KFTA) — A new report shows that 38.9% of adults in Arkansas were obese in 2024, about the same as in 2023, when 40% were obese.

The data

The report, State of Obesity 2025: Better Policies for a Healthier America, was released Oct. 16 by Trust for America’s Health. It uses 2024 data from the CDC to track obesity across the U.S.

Arkansas had the fifth-highest adult obesity rate in the nation last year and was one of 19 states with rates above 35%.

The report also shows that 15% of Arkansas adults had diabetes in 2024, up from 13.6% in 2019. Diabetes is linked to obesity, lack of exercise and high blood pressure.

Since 2011, when 30.9% of adults were obese, the rate in Arkansas has slowly gone up.

Arkansas also tracks childhood obesity through Act 1220 of 2003, which requ

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