Methodology

For the analysis, WalletHub compared the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia on 31 metrics across three key dimensions:

• Obesity and overweight prevalence, which includes the share of overweight or obese adults, teenagers, and children in a state (60 points)
• Health consequences, which includes the share of adults with high cholesterol or type 2 diabetes and obesity-related healthcare costs (25 points)
• Food and fitness, which includes the percentages of adults eating less than one serving of fruits or vegetables a day, the share of physically inactive adults, consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among adolescents, and more (15 points)

Each metric was scored on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most overweight state. WalletHub used a weighted average to calculate a state's overall score, which was then used to order each state.

Where states ranked

Based on overall score, West Virginia ranked as the most overweight state, while Colorado ranked as the least overweight state.

WalletHub also ranked states by how they performed in each of the three dimensions:

• West Virginia ranked the worst for obesity and overweight prevalence, while Colorado ranked the best
• West Virginia ranked the worst for health consequences, while Utah ranked the best
• Louisiana ranked the worst for food and fitness, while the District of Columbia ranked the best

Advisory Board's weight-related resources

To help you address the growing use of weight management drugs, Advisory Board offers several resources:

This expert insight outlines the five biggest questions about weight management drugs and their answers. Similarly, this expert insight addresses what headlines get wrong about weight management drugs and what healthcare leaders should know instead.

Radio Advisory's Rachel Woods has also covered GLP-1 drugs on the podcast, discussing the potential future of these drugs and how they could help — or hurt — health systems' finances. Other useful resources include this expert insight on the five catalysts that will impact the future of obesity care and this research on four key elements of comprehensive obesity care.

Our weight management and obesity care resource library can also help leaders understand the current care landscape, manage innovations, and prepare for transformations in care.