Official Louisiana State Websites use .la.gov 
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS 
Obesity
Life in Louisiana is hard to beat when it comes to what we eat and where we run, walk, and play. But, our lifestyle has a big impact on obesity in our communities. Weight that is higher than what is considered as a healthy weight for a given height is described as overweight or obese. Obesity is common, serious and expensive—affecting overall health, healthcare costs and workforce productivity. Obesity can lead to health conditions that last a lifetime, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. By working together, we can make a change that make a real difference.
Disease trends indicate that obesity is a national problem, contributing to poorer health, chronic disease and major causes of death. Nearly one out of four adults in Louisiana is considered obese. In 2022, Louisiana was one of 3 states, along with Oklahoma and West Virginia, that had an obesity rate of 40% in adults. According to the 2023 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, About 40% of Louisianans have obesity compared to 32.8% of people nationwide. According to the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, around 18.7% of Louisiana high school students were obese. The Louisiana Department of Health's Well-Ahead Louisiana program (WAL) aims to make healthy living easily accessible for everyone - focusing on empowering leaders in childcare, healthcare, school, worksite and community settings to make healthy changes in their environments to maintain a healthy weight.
Exercise and a healthy diet are important steps in combatting obesity. A good diet is more than just eating healthy portions of food. It also means eating the right kinds of nutritious foods which contain essential vitamins and minerals. Together, diet and exercise play a role in the condition of obesity, but they may not fully explain it. Obesity is a complex condition that may be caused by a combination of factors, including environmental factors, or by factors we do not yet know or fully understand. Obesity also appears to play a role in other conditions. While the associations are unclear, obesity is often related to other poor health outcomes and chronic diseases.
Tracking Adult Obesity in Louisiana
More research into the potential contributing factors to obesity is needed. Considering obesity as it relates to environmental health and other health indicators may lead us to discover new ways to make positive changes in Louisiana health outcomes. One potential factor being researched is human exposure to natural or man-made environmental contaminants in air, water or food. Other factors include genetics, poverty, access to parks and green space, access to healthy foods, community safety, level of stress, mental health factors, access to health care, and other medical conditions such as diabetes.
The Adult Obesity measure on the Health Data Explorer is the percentage of the adult population ages 20 and older that has a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30. BMI is a unit represented as a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. Although BMI is only a relative measure, it can be used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems. It is not a diagnostic of body fat, nor does it convey the health of an individual.
For a more detailed description of these measures, please see the Glossary of Terms.
Data Sources
- CDC Division of Diabetes Translation
- CDC – Overweight and Obesity
- Robert Woods Johnson Foundation County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
Additional Information
Contact
For more info on obesity prevention and management resources, visit WellAheadLA.com or call 1-844-522-4323.
For more info on tracking obesity, contact the Louisiana Environmental Public Health Tracking Program at tracking@la.gov or call 1-888-293-7020.