Making the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice

South Carolina Facts

Three out of every five South Carolina adults are either overweight or obese. Twenty-nine percent are obese.

SC Facts

During the past few years, the rising level of obesity in our country has become a well-known problem. Overweight and obese adults are at increased risk for diabetes, hypertension, stroke, certain cancers, heart disease, high cholesterol, gall bladder disease, sleep apnea, depression, osteoarthritis and asthma. Obesity rates in South Carolina have more than doubled since 1990, with almost two-thirds of our adult citizens considered overweight or obese. In addition,

  • In 2009, South Carolina had the 14th worst overweight or obesity rate in the nation. Three out of every five South Carolina adults (nearly 66%) are either overweight or obese. Twenty-nine percent are obese.
  • Of those South Carolinians who are overweight or obese, 37.5% have high blood pressure, 11.7% have diabetes, and 5.1% have coronary heart disease.
  • The economic impact of obesity and overweight population in terms of illness, diseases and lost productivity is significant. In 2003, obesity-related medical expenditures for adults in South Carolina total over $1 billion, with over half of the costs being financed by Medicaid and Medicare.
  • Nearly one third of high school students (31%) in South Carolina are overweight or obese.
  • Approximately one half of all African American children in rural areas of South Carolina are overweight or obese.
  • If current trends continue, one out of three children born in the year 2000 will develop Type 2 diabetes primarily due to poor diet and lack of physical activity.

Check the Following statistics for more information:

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