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SALT LAKE CITY — While Utah remains one of the least fat states in the country, obesity rates within the Beehive State have nearly doubled in the last 15 years.
As No. 46 of 50, the 6th least fat state, 23.4 percent of Utahns can be classified as obese, according to a report released Thursday by Trust for America's Health, a non-profit national health advocacy group.
Fifteen years ago, Utah had an obesity rate of 12 percent. It was still ranked 6th lightest in the nation and at the time, no states had rates above 24 percent. Now, 43 states have higher obesity rates than the state that was the highest just 10 years ago.
"People are consuming a lot more calories and they're a lot less active," said Dr. James Marks, senior vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which funded the study. He said waistlines are growing due to a number of small changes over the years within communities, including larger available portion sizes at schools, convenience stores, restaurants and grocers.
Obesity is "debilitating and costly" to America as a whole, Marks said.
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