July 1, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) -- That middle-age girth among baby boomers appears to be following them into retirement.

The nation's annual obesity rankings show Mississippi is still the most portly state among baby boomers, with some 32.5 percent of its baby boomer residents classified as obese.

Alabama, West Virginia, Tennessee and South Carolina round out the states with the heaviest retirees.

And the report from two health-related agencies (The Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation) shows the really bad news is that obesity rates among adults rose in 23 states over the past year -- and declined nowhere.

More troubling: obese seniors live nearly as long as their thinner counterparts, but are much sicker for longer periods of time, requiring much more costly medical interventions.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)