Scientific American: We Are Getting Fatter and Drunker

Scientific American released a couple of interesting interactive graphs and infographics showing the rise of poor health behaviors among Americans, focusing on the changes between 1995 – 2010. Pretty interesting findings – overall, Americans are drinking more heavily, binge drinking more frequently, and overeating more regularly – but we are also smoking less, overall.

Vermont was the worst state for heavy drinking in 2010 (Tennessee had the fewest heavy drinkers), Wisconsin was the worst for binge drinking (Tennessee again had the fewest!), West Virginia was the worst for tobacco use (Utah had the fewest smokers), Mississippi was the worst for obesity (Colorado had the lowest obesity rates), and Oregon did the best in terms of exercising and physical activity (Mississippi was the worst).

You can toggle between health behaviors divided by regions in this piece, and here is the infographic showing the trends:

Author: Larkin Callaghan

I'm a born and bred San Franciscan, with previous residences, postings, and assignments in NYC, LA, and Eastern and Southern Africa. Runner, global health and international development expert, health communication and strategic partnerships professional, implementation science investigator, reproductive health advocate. Previously seen working at the UN, professor-ing at Stanford University, implementing in sub-Saharan Africa, SE Asia, and Latin America with the CDC, PEPFAR, and ICAP at Columbia, and managing research at UCSF. View all posts by Larkin Callaghan