A study done by the Global Health Institute at Ball State revealed that adults in Indiana are gaining weight, and fast.
According to the data, 66.5 percent of adults in the state report being obese or overweight. That is compared to 50 percent back in 1991.
The average for the United States is 64 percent, meaning Indiana is slightly above the national average. This is measured by the body mass index, which measures body fat according to a person's weight and height.
Kerry Anne McGeary, director of GHI, said the reason for the obesity rates is because of an imbalance of adults taking in more calories than they are burning and people are beginning to accept this as a regular occurrence.
"We need to recognize that individuals are perceiving that this is normal," McGeary said. "We need to get more data out there and caution people thinking this is normal."
McGeary said the results were gained through a telephone survey distributed by the State Department of Health, which got funding from the Center for Disease Control.
Lorin Finn, a freshman social work major, said she doesn't see how the number can increase that much in such a short amount of time. She also said schools should be doing more.
"I know in my high school, [physical education] was offered online," Finn said.
Clayton Judd, a MBA graduate student, said the numbers are shocking. But, he said when looking at the food people eat, it's not that big of a surprise and there are other contributing factors.
"There must be something else," Judd said. "It can't all be attributed to what we eat."
However, food does play a part. According to research done by the CDC, only 23 percent of adults admit to eating fruits and vegetables at least five times a day.
Judd also said that even though the rates are alarming, it seems like a lot more people are becoming more health conscious.
The data from the study showed that 73.4 percent of males reported being overweight or obese compared to 59.5 percent of females.
Results also showed that 71 percent of Hispanics, 75 percent of African-Americans and 65.8 percent of whites all report being overweight or obese.
McGeary said this is also because of an imbalance of caloric intake.
"It would basically [be] because they are consuming more calories but it could also be socioeconomics," she said.
According to the World Health Organization, obesity can lead to chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke and even some forms of cancer.
Another statistic that was listed in the study was that an overweight or obese person spends about 41 percent more money a year on health care than an average-sized person, according to a CDC report conducted in 2009.
While the CDC website lists the obesity rate in Indiana as 27 percent, McGeary said the study done by the GHI was different.
"People should be aware that it is overweight as well as obesity," she said.
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