New report on obesity rates shows adult rates stable under 40% in Georgia — but still too high

Caption

The State of Obesity 2026 report examined CDC and other data to find nearly 36% of Georgians are classified as obese.

Credit: (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

An annual report tracking rates of Americans living with obesity includes some encouraging news about adult obesity rates in 2026, but it also raises red flags, Trust for America’s Health President and CEO Dr. Nadine Gracia said.

The State of Obesity 2026 report examined recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and found nearly 36% of Georgians are classified as obese. 

Chronic disease prevention is at risk due to federal budget cuts, staff reductions, and threats to federal chronic disease prevention and nutrition programs, according to the report.

"As a public health organization, we focus in the continuum in public health and prevention," Gracia said. "And what we know is that as a nation, we have chronically underfunded prevention and specifically chronic disease prevention."

Medications like GLP-1s are an important development in the treatment and management of obesity, but policymakers can address root causes of obesity by making healthy food and physical activity accessible, affordable and convenient, Gracia said, and noted that this year's report examines how the dietary guidelines for Americans shape food and nutrition programs.

• RELATED: A meta-analysis by UGA identifies the most effective GLP-1 med for weight loss

Obesity is a complex chronic condition with multiple factors influencing obesity, many of which are beyond an individual's control such as the economic and community context that shape people's daily lives and their available choices around healthy food, physical activity, education, jobs, stress, and financial security all of which systematically affect weight and health. 

For example, a family's ability to purchase healthy food may be limited due to their income, and some neighborhoods have limited or no access to places to shop for fresh fruits and vegetables, and limited public transportation. 

"When you think about how to approach obesity as a public health and healthcare issue, there's a continuum," Gracia said. "There's prevention, there's treatment and management, and all of those components are important with regards to addressing obesity."