Florida Surgeon General Says Obesity Remains State's Number One Health Threat
Thursday, August 8, 2013
By: Alicia Mandigo

Florida' s Surgeon General says a new report showing a decline in childhood obesity rates puts a spotlight on the state's number one health problem. Florida is one of 19 states and territories seeing a decline in obesity among pre-schoolers, but there's still a significant problem.

[Obesity among some pre-schoolers is on the decline]

The report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at 11-million low-income preschool aged children and found small but significant declines in obesity rates. But Florida Surgeon General John Armstrong says outside of that population, Florida is still trending towards obesity. “Right now, almost 15-percent of Florida adolescents are obese, and another 25-percent are overweight,” he says.

Armstrong says the conditions spawned by obesity- heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and high blood pressure, could cost the state over 34-billion dollars over the next 17 years.  In January, he launched a statewide Healthiest Weight initiative that aims to reduce Florida’s  obesity rate by improving access to healthy foods, promoting physical activity  and by helping to create healthy environments.