Are Men or Women Gaining Weight in Rockland?

By Heather Martino

America’s epidemic of fatness extends all the way to Rockland County, with obesity rates at 34.4% for men in 2011. Using the map above, you can see the rate was only 22.9% for men in 2001.

Females in Rockland also saw an uptick in weight gain, with a 23% obesity rate in 2001 rising to a rate of 29.7% in 2011.

Rockland's statistics don't quite mirror New York's as a whole, where greater numbers of women tend to be obese compared to men. State-wide in 2011, women had a higher obesity rate (33.8%) than men (31.2%).

Still, Rockland and New York do have one thing in common—an overall increase in unhealthy weight gain.

In nearby Westchester, data shows residents—both male and female—are slimmer, according to 2011 numbers.

In 2011, obesity prevalence for both genders in the U.S. ranged from 20.7% in Colorado to 34.9% in Mississippi, according to the CDC.

These figures were obtained from a recent study from the University of Washington, which found that nationwide men are more obese than their female counterparts.

According to the CDC, obesity affects more than one-third of adults, or 35.7% of the population in the United States. Obesity is calculated by measuring a person’s height and weight, and deriving at a ratio called the body mass index, or BMI. This number often correlates to an individual’s amount of body fat, and is used to ascertain whether a person is considered underweight, a normal weight, overweight or obese.

Obese individuals have a 50-100% increased risk of premature death, and it’s estimated that obesity may be the cause of 300,000 deaths per year according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Interestingly, Americans claim to be exercising more during the same time period that obesity climbed. “Around the country, you can see huge increases in the percentage of people becoming physically active, which research tells us is certain to have health benefits,” said IHME Director Dr. Christopher Murray in a press release. Murray added that “If communities in the US can replicate this success and tackle the ongoing obesity impact, it will see more substantial health gains.”

The good news is that there may be silver lining to America’s fat epidemic. While we’re still getting fatter, at least it’s happening at a slower rate than in past years. And if this rate continues to drop, Rockland County might soon be reporting slimmer, healthier residents.