Americans are getting fatter in every state, with the exception of Oregon, and those living in the southeast are the most likely to be obese, according to a report issued on Tuesday. Mississippi had the highest rate of obesity, with 29.5 percent of adults classified as obese in 2004. In Colorado, the slimmest state, just 16 percent of adults are obese, the Trust for America's Health found according to Reuters. Oregon's rate of 21 percent was unchanged. "We have a crisis of poor nutrition and physical inactivity in the U.S. and it's time we dealt with it," said Shelley Hearne, executive director of the group. An estimated 119 million Americans, or 64.5 percent, of adults are either overweight or obese and the rate has been rising steadily every year. The percentage of obese adults rose from 23.7 percent in 2003 to 24.5 percent in 2004. More than 25 percent of adults in 10 states are obese, including in Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas, Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana and South Carolina, the survey found. --more 2350 Local Time 2050 GMT
