GLASGOW, UNITED KINGDOM - OCTOBER 10: An overweight person walks through Glasgow city centre on October 10, 2006 in Glasgow, Scotland. According to government health maps published today, people in the north of England lead less healthy lifestyles compared to those in the south. The United Kingdom is also the fattest country in Europe, according to a new study of obesity rates to be released today. The "Health Profile of England" report, compiled from government data, said some 24 percent of people in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are obese. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) (2006 Getty Images)
A predominantly Latino border community is the most obese area in the U.S.
According to a new Gallup poll, 38.5 percent of the residents in the Texas metro area known as McAllen-Edinburg-Mission are obese.
The results of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index mark the third year in a row the region has made the top ten.
In the Rio Grande valley, over 88 percent of population in Hidalgo county –where the area is located– is Hispanic.
Along the shockingly high obesity rates, the average median household income in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area is also one of the nation’s lowest.
As Gallup and several studies point out, there is a strong correlation between obesity and poverty.
Nationwide the obesity epidemic in the U.S. has remained stagnant — from 2011 to 2012, the national obesity rate held steady at 26 percent.
According to Gallup, obesity surpasses smoking and alcohol as a top health concern for Americans, with nearly four in 10 U.S. adults saying obesity is an extremely serious problem.
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