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Percentage of Georgia adults who qualify as obese: 28

Percentage of Georgia children age 10-17 who qualify as obese: 37

Georgia’s national rank among the 50 states for adult obesity: 14

Georgia’s national rank among the 50 states for childhood obesity: 3

Number of the top 10 most obese states that are in the South: 8

Percentage of national health care costs associated with chronic disease, much of which can be traced to obesity: 70

Percentage by which a metro Atlantan is less likely to become obese if that person lives in a walkable neighborhood: 7

Extra number pounds of pounds the average person packs on when he or she lives in a pedestrian-unfriendly city: 6

Atlanta’s rank, out of 40, on a recent list of pedestrian-friendly cities: 22

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Georgia Tech, Heartland Institute, Smart Growth America, Trust for America’s Health, WalkScore.com

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The biggest story on AJC.com main page today is a report about Georgia’s high rate of obesity.

John Robinson (known to many ’round these parts by as Gnosis) spotted elsewhere on the same page a possible explanation for our state’s collective girth.

Click to enlarge.

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According to a recent study by the American Public Health Association and Partnership for Prevention, Georgia ranks 41st in the nation for health. Vermont, where tree bark is served in schools, is the healthiest state.

[Insert obligatory jokes about Southerners enjoying chocolate-covered bacon and deep-fried Oreos here.]

What’s holding Georgians back from living more healthy lives? Survey says!

• Low high school graduation rate
• High incidence of infectious disease
• High levels of air pollution
• High rate of uninsured population

Other depressing tidbits: The obesity rate has risen from 11 percent of the population in 1990 to 28.7 percent last year. Per capita public health funding decreased 22 percent compared to last year.

Any good news? There’s always good news! And the study has a name for it — “strengths.”

Strengths include a low prevalence of binge drinking at 12.3 percent of the population and high immunization coverage with 80.8 percent of children ages 19 to 35 months receiving complete immunizations.

View Georgia’s Fact Sheet PDF.

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Ten of America’s 15 fattest state populations are in Dixie — including Georgia, which ranks 14th in the adult rate of obesity and 12th for youths ages 10 through 17, a health report to be released Tuesday found. …”Historic cultural preference for certain types of food” certainly plays a part in the regional variations, said Jeff Levi, executive director of the Trust [for America's Health].

On Friday, I had pot stickers, sesame noodles, Szechuan chicken and stir-fried Kung Pao string beans at Little Szechuan.

Turns out I was NOT overeating.

I was, in fact, exercising my cultural preference.

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