“City slickers are slimmer than their country counterparts, according to a new study that suggests rural obesity is a bigger problem than we realized. A national study in the Journal of Rural Health of over 8,800 Americans showed that country folks were nearly one-fifth more likely to be obese compared to those living in cities. In other words, the findings suggest, where you live is important in obesity. ‘The rates of obesity were much higher than previously reported based on self-report, with 39 percent of rural Americans being obese compared to 33 percent of urban Americans,’ said study lead author Christie Befort, an assistant professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan. Past studies have asked people about their weight, but researchers in this study were more precise.” w/ photos
