Health
Overweight or Obese Adults
Source: Arkansas Department of Health
Overweight or Obese Adults
2019
Arkansas County73%
Ashley County75%
Baxter County64%
Benton County67%
Boone County67%
Bradley County76%
Calhoun County77%
Carroll County66%
Chicot County74%
Clark County79%
Clay County72%
Cleburne County68%
Cleveland County78%
Columbia County77%
Conway County69%
Craighead County72%
Crawford County72%
Crittenden County76%
Cross County73%
Dallas County79%
Desha County71%
Drew County78%
Faulkner County70%
Franklin County74%
Fulton County64%
Garland County72%
Grant County73%
Greene County72%
Hempstead County77%
Hot Spring County73%
Howard County73%
Independence County66%
Izard County67%
Jackson County65%
Jefferson County72%
Johnson County76%
Lafayette County77%
Lawrence County69%
Lee County69%
Lincoln County75%
Little River County78%
Logan County74%
Lonoke County70%
Madison County69%
Marion County67%
Miller County77%
Mississippi County76%
Monroe County69%
Montgomery County74%
Nevada County79%
Newton County68%
Ouachita County80%
Perry County71%
Phillips County65%
Pike County79%
Poinsett County73%
Polk County72%
Pope County72%
Prairie County69%
Pulaski County73%
Randolph County72%
Saline County72%
Scott County74%
Searcy County70%
Sebastian County72%
Sevier County74%
Sharp County69%
St. Francis County72%
Stone County70%
Union County77%
Van Buren County71%
Washington County68%
White County66%
Woodruff County65%
Yell County70%

Source: Arkansas Department of Health







NATIONAL RANKING
44

OUT OF 50
2019

STATE TREND

Increasing


71%

2019

What does this measure?

The percentage of adults who have a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 25. The index is an estimate of body fat based on height and weight. A person with a BMI between 25 and 30 is considered overweight, and those with a BMI over 30 are considered obese.

Why is this important?

Being overweight or obese puts a person at greater risk for a wide variety of serious health problems. Obesity is recognized as a national problem that has grown tremendously over the last three decades, contributing to increases in medical expenditures for treatment of related diseases.

How is Arkansas doing?

In 2019, 71% of adults were overweight or obese, up 6 percentage points from 2011 and above the national rate of 67%. Arkansas is 45th in the nation on this indicator, including the 50 states and Washington, D.C. The state's rate is only slightly lower than those in the three highest states, Kentucky (72%), West Virginia (72%), and Mississippi (73%). Rates are higher for males (73%) than females (68%). The rate for males is 3 percentage points higher than in 2011; the rate for females is 8 points higher. Non-Hispanic American Indians & Alaskan Natives (81%) and Hispanics (77%) had the highest rates by race/ethnicity, followed by Black non-Hispanics (72%) and White non-Hispanics had the same rate (70%)

Within the state, the lowest rates were in Baxter and Fulton counties, both 64%. The highest rate was in Ouachita County, at 80%.

Notes about the data

National data comes from a federal government survey designed to collect scientific data on health risks and behaviors. Respondents were asked for their height and weight for a computation of Body Mass Index.

Beginning in 2011, the Centers for Disease Control made two changes to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System on which this indicator is based. The survey now includes cell-phone users, and a new statistical method is used to weight responses. As a result, changes from 2010 and years prior to 2011 and later may be a result of those technical changes rather than true trends. State and county data and data for subgroups are from the Arkansas Department of Health.




Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


Percent of overweight and obese adults
201120122013201420152016201720182019
Arkansas65%69%70%71%69%68%70%70%71%

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention






Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


Overweight or Obese Adults by Gender
FemaleMale
Arkansas68%73%

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention









INDICATORS TREND | STATE
Access to Quality Seats for Infants and Toddlers Not Applicable
Access to Quality Childcare Seats for Preschoolers Not Applicable
Grade 3 Reading Not Applicable
Grade 8 Math Not Applicable
Graduation Rate Not Applicable
Remediation Rate Not Applicable
Adults with a High School Degree Not Applicable
Adults with a Bachelor's Degree or Higher Not Applicable
Adults Pursuing Further Education Not Applicable
Infant Mortality Not Applicable
Early Prenatal Care Not Applicable
Overweight or Obese Students Not Applicable
Student Drug Usage Not Applicable
Overweight or Obese Adults Not Applicable
Physically Inactive Adults Not Applicable
Smoking Rate Not Applicable
Flouridated Water Not Applicable
Insurance Coverage Rates Not Applicable
Oral Health Not Applicable
Life Expectancy Not Applicable
Routine Check-ups Not Applicable
Births to Teens Not Applicable
Female-headed Households Not Applicable
Children Living in Poverty Not Applicable
People Living in Poverty Not Applicable
Elderly Living in Poverty Not Applicable
Median Household Income Not Applicable
Unemployment Rate Not Applicable
Homeownership Rate Not Applicable
Child Abuse and Neglect Not Applicable
Access to Financial Services Not Applicable
Food Insecurity Not Applicable
Incarceration Rate Not Applicable
Homelessness Not Applicable
Change in Total Jobs Not Applicable
Housing Affordability - Owning Not Applicable
Housing Affordability - Renting Not Applicable
Households Below ALICE Threshold Not Applicable
Voter Participation Rate Not Applicable
Charitable Giving Not Applicable
Volunteering Not Applicable
Group Participation Not Applicable
Connection to Neighbors Not Applicable
Local Voting Not Applicable
Change in Population Not Applicable
Change in Population by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Change in Population by Age Not Applicable
Adults with a High School Degree Not Applicable
Adults with a Bachelor's Degree or Higher Not Applicable
Female-headed Households Not Applicable
Children Living in Poverty Not Applicable
People Living in Poverty Not Applicable
Elderly Living in Poverty Not Applicable
Median Household Income Not Applicable
Unemployment Rate Not Applicable
Homeownership Rate Not Applicable
Incarceration Rate Not Applicable
Change in Population by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable


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