A new report finds that obesity rates in America have declined for the first time in a decade.
But obesity rates in Delaware are still about double what they were 15 years ago.
The new data was released by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
It found that nearly one in three Delawareans are obese, which is less than 27 other states, but still historically high.
“What we’re seeing as obesity rates today, is far higher than anything we’d seen 20 years ago," according to Don Schwarz of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
His data show that no state had an obesity rate above 20 percent in 1990. Now, every state does.
But obesity rates in America are stabilizing, according to this year's data. They’re even declining in four states (Minnesota, Montana, New York and Ohio) for the first time in the 13 years of the annual report.
New nutritional standards in schools and an emphasis on physical activity appear to be helping to stabilize and reduce the obesity rate, Schwarz said.
The highest rates of obesity in Delaware are found in adults between the ages of 45 and 64 (34.8 percent).
Women have a slightly higher rate of obesity than men: about 1 percentage point.
African Americans have the highest obesity rate in Delaware, at about 37 percent. The rate for white people is roughly 30 percent.
The obesity epidemic is estimated to cost the nation upwards of $200 billion dollars a year in additional healthcare costs. Obese people are more likely to develop chronic illnesses like cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
Obesity is defined as anyone with a body mass index of 30 or more.
