Kentucky has the 7th worst obesity rate -- 31.5 percent -- and Indiana is eighth worst with a rate of 31.4 percent, according to the 2014 Obesity Rankings.
Both states have obesity rates that are worse than the nation's, which rose to 27.7 percent in 2014, up from 27.1 percent in 2013.
Kentucky also has the dubious distinction of being one of five states that have been among the 10 states with the highest obesity rates annually since Gallup and Healthways began tracking obesity in 2008.
Obesity increases the risk of several health conditions, including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and some forms of cancer, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It's also linked to higher medical costs and lower overall well-being, according to the Gallup-Healthways report.
The index shows sunny Hawaii as the state with the lowest obesity rate, 19 percent. Mississippi has the worst (35.2). Rates tended to be highest in the south and midwest.
To compile the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, telephone interviews were conducted last year with a random sample of more than 176,700 adults throughout the United States and the District of Columbia. Survey respondents self-reported height and weight, which are used to calculate BMI (body mass index) scores. A BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese in the United States.
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