September 3rd, 2016 by WCBC Radio

Maryland remains solidly in the middle of the national pack when it comes to obesity. About 29 percent of the state's residents were obese last year, ranking it 31st among other states , according to a new report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Trust for America's Health. Neighboring West Virginia finished in a three way tie for second place on the list. Louisiana was No. 1 at 36.2 percent obese and Colorado, the oft-cited health capital of the nation, was at the bottom with 20.2 percent obese. In general, the South had the highest rates of obesity, followed by the Midwest. The report, The State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America, looked at data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and found Maryland's rate wasn't much changed from the year before. But like so many other states, the long-term trend hasn't been good: The percent obese was 19.6 in 2000 and 10.8 in 1990.