No matter how much we learn about obesity, we Americans just seem to be getting fatter and fatter. The obesity rate has climbed in 31 stats last year -- no states showed a decline, found a new study from the Trust for America's Health

Boston (dBTechno)-  Americans just seem to be getting fatter and fatter.

The obesity rate has climbed in 31 stats last year — no states showed a decline, found a new study from the Trust for America’s Health

Colorado is once again the leanest state with an obesity rate of 17.6 percent.

Mississippi has the highest adult obesity rate at more than 30.5 percent.

The Trust for America’s Health say that the government needs to take a more active roll in fighting obesity.

Obesity has been linked to diabetes, heart problems and other chronic diseases that contribute to greater health care costs.

“It’s one of those issues where everyone believes this is an epidemic, but it’s not getting the level of political and policymaker attention that it ought to,” said Jeffrey Levi, the organization’s executive director. “As every candidate for president talks about health care reform and controlling health care cost costs, if we don’t hone in on this issue, none of their proposals are going to be affordable.”

At the same time, many believe weight is a personal choice and responsibility. Levi doesn’t dispute that notion, but he said society can help people make good choices.

“If we want kids to eat healthier food, we have to invest the money for school nutrition programs so that school lunches are healthier,” he said. “If we want people to be more physically active, then there have to be safe places to be active. That’s not just a class issues. We’ve designed suburban communities where there are no sidewalks for anybody to go out and take a walk.”

To measure obesity rates, Trust for America’s Health compares data from 2003-2005 with 2004-2006. It combines data from three years to improve the accuracy of projections. The data come from a survey of height and weight taken over the telephone by state health departments.

Generally, anyone with a body mass index greater than 30 is considered obese. The index is a ratio that takes into account height and weight. The overweight range is 25 to 29.9. Normal is 18.5 to 24.9. People with a large amount of lean muscle mass, such as athletes, can show a large body mass index without having an unhealthy level of fat.

Poverty seemed to be a significant factor, with 5 of the poorest states in the top ten when it came to obesity rates.