Massachusetts Tied For Smallest Percentage Of Obese Adults: Study

MASSACHUSETTS — Massachusetts is tied for having the lowest percentage of obese adults out of every state nationwide, and a recent study put the commonwealth at No. 48 in an overall ranking of "Most Overweight & Obese States in the U.S."

The study, conducted by personal finance website WalletHub, found that Massachusetts and Colorado have the lowest percentage of obese adults, and that the commonwealth ranked No. 47 in its percentage of obese children.

WalletHub did not specify the percentage of obese adults in Massachusetts in its study.

Though Massachusetts has a low percentage of people considered obese, the state did not rank among the five states with the lowest percentage of children or adults considered overweight.

Its No. 48 overall ranking was based on 31 metrics across three dimensions: Obesity & Overweight Prevalence, Health Consequences and Food and Fitness. The ranking means Massachusetts has a higher prevalence of overweight-ness and obesity than only Colorado, Utah and the District of Columbia.

Nationwide, more than seven in 10 U.S. adults aged 20 and older are either overweight or obese, according to WalletHub. Though rates are lower for children and adolescents, they have "risen dramatically in the past few decades," the company said.

Read the study's full findings here.