The U. S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting in its 20th November Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report says, there is a higher prevalence of obesity and diabetes in the South and Appalachian region, as compared to most areas in West and Northeast USA.

The CDC estimates for the prevalence of obesity and diabetes in all
3,141USA counties found a distinct geographic pattern for both conditions.

Apart from the South, CDC also found a high prevalence for obesity and diabetes in the Appalachian region, including tribal lands in the West and Northern Plains of USA.

Eighty-one percent of counties in the Appalachian region, such as, Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia are reported to have the highest rates of diabetes and obesity, as do 77% of the counties in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina.

Ann Albright, MD, Director of CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation, in her news release terms diabetes a serious disease that needs to be prevented and controlled, calling it extremely costly in human and economic terms.

The strong regional patterns of diabetes shown in the study can be useful in focusing prevention efforts where required, with obesity costing the nation $147-billion in medical costs and diabetes $116-billion.

There are 24-million people in USA who have diabetes, including
5.7-million who remain to be diagnosed.

The CDC data also shows the prevalence of obesity nationwide ranging from 12.4% to 43.7%, while 73% of counties in Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina were in the top quintile for diabetes.

Seventy percent of the counties in in Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and West Virginia had a high prevalence of obesity i. e. 30.9% or greater.

Seventy-seven percent of counties in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina were amongst the top two quintiles for both diabetes and obesity prevalence.

It was 81% for both condition for counties in Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

Poor diets and sedentary lifestyles that are commonplace in modern American life are the biggest contributors to type 2 diabetes and obesity, with diabetes the most tangible damaging effect of obesity, which has also been linked to heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancers.