COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — Following the release of the 2024 State of Obesity Report, local health officials are reminding the public of the serious impact that obesity can have on day-to-day life. According to the National Health Organization known as “Trust for America’s Health,” South Carolina continues to be one of 23 states across the U.S. with an overall adult obesity rate at or above 35%. Lori Phillips is the Director of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity Prevention Section with the SC Department of Public Health. “When we dive a little deeper into that, we really are concerned about our American Indian populations and our African American populations — they are substantially higher in our adult obesity rates,” Phillips says. The report finds that SC’s children are also at risk, with 39 % of public school students considered overweight. Phillips says her team continues to collect data across school districts to help ensure opportunities for physical activity, saying, “Our children are supposed to play, they are supposed to move, and a lot of times we have engineered that out of our lives.” To ward off the negative effects of obesity like diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and cancer, many of which Phillips says are now seen in younger children, the SC Department of Public Health recommends instilling healthier habits at an early age — like choosing water or low-fat milk over soda, getting a daily dose of exercise and eating more fruits and vegetables. Whether young or old, Phillips says both your body and mind will thank you for healthier living habits. “And so I do think when you start to put these habits into place, getting up and moving a little bit throughout your day, choosing a whole food, versus something that goes through your body pretty quickly and sets that blood sugar off, you’ll start to feel better immediately, mentally physically and that’s compound interest, once you keep doing it and doing it on a regular routine, you start to feel better and better everyday and that’s what its all about, we want people in SC to feel better daily,” she says. For a link to the full state of obesity report from Trust for America’s Health, click here. Categories: Local News, News Tags: Lori Phillips, SC Department of Public Health, State of Obesity Report, Trust for America’s Health