Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) released its annual State of Obesity 2023: Better Policies for a Healthier America report last month. Over the past two decades, obesity rates have climbed for all population groups with certain populations of color experiencing the highest rates, often due to structural barriers to healthy eating and a lack of opportunities and places to be physically active.

New data summarized in the report finds that 22 states have adult obesity rates above 35 percent, up from 19 states last year and none in 2012.  The widespread increases show that obesity is a society-wide, population-level issue rooted in societal and environmental factors that are often beyond individual choice.

The report makes policy recommendations for action by the administration, Congress, states, and other policymakers and stakeholders, including:

• Fully fund the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s proven chronic disease and obesity prevention programs so they are in place in every state
• Make healthy school meals available for all students and increase access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other nutrition support programs
• Implement a mandatory front-of-package labeling system on all processed foods to help consumers make informed choices
• Close tax loopholes and eliminate business-cost deductions for advertising unhealthy food to children
• Make physical activity and the built environment safer and more accessible for everyone, including by increasing federal education funding for health and physical education and investing in active transportation projects like pedestrian and bike paths
• Increase access to health insurance through expanding Medicaid, making marketplace insurance more affordable, and expanding healthcare screenings for social need