Polk County Men Getting Fatter Twice as Quickly as Women While Obesity Rates Across Iowa Rising

Written by: Heather Martino

America’s epidemic of fatness cuts across Iowa and lands in Urbandale, where men are packing on the pounds more quickly than women. 

But, still more than a third of men and women in Polk County, Iowa and the nation are obese, according to figures obtained from a study at University of Washington. 

In Polk County, the obesity rate among women has increased 5.4 percentage points to 35.4 percent from 2001 to 2011. Men are getting fat nearly twice as quickly - up 9.7 percentage points in that span to 35.9 percent. Using the map above, you can see the rate has grown considerably for both sexes since 2001 in Polk County and around the country.

The obesity rate among men in the state of Iowa increased only slightly less than in Urbandale and the rest of Polk County - 9 percentage points. While the Polk County obesity rate among women is climbing slower than the state average of 7.3 percent. As a state, 36.3 percent of men and 35.9 percent of women in Iowa are obese, as of 2011. 

Compared to neighboring Dallas County, Polk County is looking skinny. In Dallas County the obesity rate among men climbed 14.6 percentage points since 2001 to 39.3 percent prevalence in 2011, and 7.1 percentage point increase since 2001 to 34.3 percent in 2011 among women.  

Compared to other states, Iowa men are fatter than the national average, while women are a touch slimmer.

The county figures on the map were obtained from a recent study from the University of Washington, which found that nationwide women are more obese than their male counterparts.

According to the CDC, obesity affects more than one-third of adults, or 35.7 percent of the population in the United States. Obesity is calculated by measuring a person’s height and weight, and deriving at a ratio called the body mass index, or BMI. This number often correlates to an individual’s amount of body fat, and is used to ascertain whether a person is considered underweight, a normal weight, overweight or obese.

Obese individuals have a 50-100 percent increased risk of premature death, and it’s estimated that obesity may be the cause of 300,000 deaths per year according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Interestingly, Americans claim to be exercising more during the same time period that obesity climbed. 

“Around the country, you can see huge increases in the percentage of people becoming physically active, which research tells us is certain to have health benefits,” said IHME Director Dr. Christopher Murray in a press release. Murray added that “If communities in the US can replicate this success and tackle the ongoing obesity impact, it will see more substantial health gains.”

Here are resources to help you, your children, friends or loved ones deal with obesity from the American Public Health Association, the American Medical Association and ABC News:

• Tools for Parents, Teachers, Students, and Community Leaders to Eliminate Childhood Obesity
• Action for Healthy Kids
• AMA Healthy Lifestyles: Obesity
• AMA Healthy Lifestyles: Childhood Obesity
  
• Tips to starting a fitness routine
• Healthy Shopping List
• Fat-Free vs. Calories
• Healthy Recipes

• Roasted pork loin with acorn squash 
• Bread salad with roasted red peppers 
• Baked stuffed apples