It’s no secret that obesity is a serious problem in the United States, but you may not know that obesity isn’t as evenly distributed as you might think.

In Maryland, some counties have relatively low rates of obesity, but others have high rates.

What makes the difference? WBAL-TV 11 Health Alert reporter Donna Hamilton takes a look.

Obesity and obesity-related diseases are escalating throughout the United States and here in Maryland.

A state map of three-year obesity averages was recently drawn for the first time, showing Montgomery and Howard counties have the lowest rates of 10 to 14 percent.

But five jurisdictions have an obesity rate  of 25 percent or greater. They include St. Mary’s, Somerset, Cecil and Kent counties, in addition to Baltimore City.

Charlene Perry is a registered nurse and the program manager for Health Promotion and Wellness Programs for Kent County. She said obesity peaks between the ages of 55 and 74.

“There are certified risk factors for being overweight or obese, [including] age, race, income and education,” Perry said.

The age range Perry spoke of comprises 28 percent of Maryland’s population. In Kent County, it represents 35 percent.

“We have a higher percentage of aging people. In Kent County, we’re known as a retirement community and people come here to retire,” Perry said.

In Baltimore City, blacks comprise 65 percent of the population, and that racial group is statistically more likely to be obese, health studies have shown.

But the city’s health commissioner, Dr. Peter Belienson, said he believes socioeconomic factors are more important than racial factors. He spoke about a person’s lack of access to healthy food and places to exercise.

“I finished high school in Montgomery County, they had beautifully-lit fields 20 years ago. They have immense numbers of exercise facilities, lots of recreation facilities. Howard County does as well,” Beilenson said.

Beilenson referenced the two counties that just happen to have the lowest obesity rates. He also said food shopping can be limited in some areas.

“In large swaths of the inner parts of the city, where people don’t have access to cars to get out to the surrounding areas to the Super Fresh and the Giants of the world, they’re buying food from corner grocery stores,” Beilenson said.

The health commissioner said those stores often do not sell much fresh produce.

And longer commutes are taking their toll on Marylanders as well - lots of time spent sitting in a car and less time at home to prepare healthy meals, Hamilton reported.

To combat the problem, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has begun the Nutrition and Physical Activity Grant for 28 states, including Maryland. The money is to be used to find a better plan to battle the problem.

“We’re talking about the cost of obesity. How large is the problem? Who’s affected? And, what do we need to do to make a change?” said Lorraine Smith, of the state’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

As for the other places with the highest obesity levels in Maryland, there is a lot of frustration, Hamilton reported. A Cecil County health official said she doesn’t know what’s causing such high numbers there.

Officials from St. Mary’s and Somerset counties said they are trying to reduce their numbers by looking at the problem on several levels, starting with nutrition and exercise, Hamilton reported.

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