Fattitude

According to a recent report, Massachusetts is ranked 3rd in obesity, while Tennessee is ranked 49th among the states.

So is it noticeable to a person who lived in Massachusetts for many years and recently moved to Tennessee?

You bet. There are occasional times here when I look around and am taken aback by the number of people who are obese. I don't mean a bit of middle-age paunch, I mean really morbidly obese. I believe the report, and believe that it is a public health problem for Tennessee.

What can be done about it? I'm not confident that government awareness programs are going to help much. One thing that may help is increased levels of income. In the USA, the poorer people are the fatter they are. I predict that Tennessee's obesity problem will get better with time as living standards rise. Until then though, I don't expect much change.