More Hoosiers becoming obese according to CDC report

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - A new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals one in three Hoosiers is obese.  That means their weight is about 20 percent or more than it's supposed to be.

So, why are we as a country becoming more overweight? Is it the way we eat? Our fast paced lifestyle? Allen County Health Commissioner Deb McMahan said it has to do with more than just those factors.

"You know it's a very complex issue.  I think part of it has to do with just the easy access to foods," McMahan said.

About one in three Hoosiers is obese.  Over the past 10 years men have been packing on the pounds at an alarming rate.  McMahan can't help but wonder if screen time is to blame.

"In the last decade, there has been the explosion of the video games, access to video games through different programs that you can subscribe to.  The televisions have gone to you know they're all huge!"

As more attention has been focused on the way we eat and our activity levels, initiatives nationwide and statewide have been ramping up.  One program locally that has been making a difference is Fort Wayne's Smallest Winner.   It's made up of contestants that want to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

"They come in and they spend an hour with us at the gym and we teach them how to eat right and in 15 weeks on average they lose 50 pounds," Creator Rick Walters said.

So, are these initiatives not working? Why are we as a country becoming grossly overweight? McMahan said our habits aren't going to change overnight.

"It's really hard to change behavior.  I mean that is probably the hardest thing to do is to change behaviors, and a lot of us have ingrained behaviors that don't service well in terms of eating well and activity."

This explains why healthcare costs have been going up.  There are a lot of health problems related to being overweight and obese.

McMahan said we need to eat healthier food and move more.