Study: Oklahoma ranks as one of the least healthy states in the country

Posted: Dec 21, 2018 / 02:02 PM CST / Updated: Dec 21, 2018 / 02:02 PM CST

Downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is seen from the air, July 16, 2015. AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

OKLAHOMA CITY – As the weight of the average American continues to rise, a new report has bad news for Oklahomans.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, women’s waists grew from 36.3 inches in 1999 to 38.6 inches in 2015. Men’s waists increased from 39 inches to 40.2 inches during the same period.

Another study from the nonprofit division of United-Health Group worked to determine which U.S. states were the healthiest in the country.

The survey takes into account 35 factors like lifestyle behaviors, the community and environment and state-level public policy, and examines them by state.

Hawaii is joined by Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and Utah as the healthiest states in the country.

The five least healthy states are Arkansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.