NEW ULM — A report released by the Minnesota Department of Health Thursday shows that Minnesotans may be getting bigger around the waist.

According to the report, Minnesota’s adult obesity rate rose from 28.4% in 2017 to 30.1% in 2018, which means more Minnesotans may be at increased risk for heart disease, diabetes, some types of cancer and other serious health conditions.

According to data also released Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Minnesota’s adult obesity rate is slightly lower than the national figure, but the adult obesity rate continues to rise nationwide. Data shows that the national rate rose from 30.1% in 2017 to 30.9% in 2018, and in addition to being a significant health concern, obesity is also a significant driver of health care costs. In Minnesota alone, 2017 health care costs related to obesity were estimated to be $3.2 billion.

“Obesity is more than just a health concern for individual Minnesotans — it’s a major challenge for the entire state,” said Minnesota Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm in the report. “Addressing this challenge requires an individual and community-level response, including smart changes to our food and physical environments.”

In Brown County, adult obesity rates trend a bit higher than the state average with about 32% of adults in the county considered overweight or obese — according to data in the County Rankings and Roadmaps report released in March.

The County Rankings and Roadmaps report also shows that about 21% of adults in Brown County reported not getting enough exercise or physical activities.

But state’s efforts such as the Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) and local initiatives like the Heart of New Ulm (HONU) are working to improve or create healthy communities that have increased access to healthy food and opportunities for physical activity in neighborhoods, schools, worksites and health care settings.

Melissa Hoffmann, a family health nurse at SHIP and Brown County Public Health, said the data released by the state health department isn’t immediately alarming to health officials, but they’d still prefer to see a drop in the obesity rate.

“The increases aren’t what we want to see,” Hoffmann said. “This latest report does show an increase, but it’s not really significant.”

SHIP in Brown County partners with the HONU action team, and through the partnership has formed a worksite collaborative team that operates as a facilitator of information and resources for workplaces.

With more time spent on computers and mobile devices in the workplace, the focus of the team is to help foster a healthy work environment for employees by working with employers to offer healthier options in vending machines and even healthier catering options, Hoffmann said.

Efforts are also directed at local restaurants to provide resources so restaurants can take advantage of technical assistance through SHIP and let the community know healthy food options are available on the menu.

SHIP also provides assistance to community groups such as the New Ulm Community Garden. It has helped the garden by providing a garden shed and will soon be holding a bike fix program.

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The obesity epidemic is growing in the U.S. Despite a number of initiatives being launched to address this health issue, more people are becoming overweight or obese, and this increases their risk of suffering a variety of complications.

More than 36 percent of adults today are considered obese in the country. Each state has more than 20 percent of obese people in its population. 

In the past two decades, the government did not record any state that reached above 15 percent. The changing diets and lifestyles of Americans have been associated to the increase of obesity rates. 

Most people in the U.S. now are eating more calories than ever before. High calorie-intake has been linked to the significant increase in weight, according to Healthline.   TOP ARTICLES Japan Lifts Commercial Whaling Ban

The scientific community has been eager to end the obesity epidemic. A number of updates have been issued about the health problem but they remain unknown to many people. 

This article explores the top facts you need to know to better avoid obesity or becoming overweight. They are all presented below.

Obesity Causes Over 60 Chronic Diseases

Research showed that overweight or obese people are at a higher risk of having dozens of diseases and health conditions. The list includes cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and stroke, among others. 

Being Obese Increases Death Risk

Compared to underweight people, having the extra pounds above average puts someone at higher risk of early death. Researchers previously found that obesity is one of the top five leading causes of death across the world. 

It sits beside physical inactivity, high blood pressure, tobacco use and high blood sugar levels. 

Middle Aged People Have Higher Risks Of Obesity

Obesity has been found more likely to affect adults between the ages of 40 and 59. More than 40 percent of adults between these ages are obese in the U.S., while the remaining 60 percent is shared by the age groups 20 to 39 and 60 and above.

Overweight Children Become Overweight Adults

Being overweight in early childhood makes a person five times more likely to be obese adults. Long-term weight problem has also been linked to higher risk of having chronic diseases and health complications.

Ethnicity Affects Obesity

Study showed that 48.4 percent of non-Hispanic blacks have obesity in the U.S. Hispanics cover 42.6 percent of the obese population, followed by non-Hispanic whites with 36.4 percent. But Asians only covered 12.6 percent. 

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