Is your state fat? Mine sure is.

Adults in 23 states are getting more obese, and obesity rates are not declining anywhere, according to a report released today.

In Alabama, where I live, nearly one in three adults is considered obese. In fact, Alabama is the second-fattest state in the union, lighter only than neighboring Mississippi.

"F as in Fat" was written by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It is based on data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

You can read the AP story and the press release, but I suggest downloading and picking through the report itself. You will find it larded with story leads (I can't help myself), and not just about how fat we are.

For example, the report says:

• A bad economy is making people more obese. Prices of food, especially healthy food, are increasing. At the same time, lean governments and non-profit groups cut programs meant to promote healthy living.
• Obesity is a regional problem for the Southeast. Four of the five fattest states are in this corner of the country. The exception is West Virginia, which only gets a pass because it broke from the rest of Virginia back in 1861. The Southeast also suffers high childhood obesity, diabetes, hypertension and general physical inactivity.
• Calculating obesity, especially in children, is a somewhat controversial topic in and of itself. Obesity is based on "Body Mass Index," which compares weight and height. Research suggests this is not a perfect measure since race, ethnicity and body type will skew a person's body mass. Some also fear collecting body mass data from children stigmatizes overweight youngsters. In fact, just 20 states require body-mass or other weight-related screening of children.
• Lethargy accompanies obesity. We're not just getting fat ... we're ... slowing ... down. More than one in five American adults do not engage in any physical activity. More than half are not as active as the Centers for Disease Control say they should be.
• Many states have levied taxes on non-nutritious snacks, known as "Twinkie Taxes," to discourage unhealthy eating. Alabama and Oklahoma are among the holdouts.
• Four states and a handful of cities require restaurant chains to post nutrition information on menus or menu boards. Nine states have "complete streets" laws, some of which go so far as to require road projects to include sidewalks and bike lanes.

Those are just a handful of story ideas. An enterprising reporter could spend a week spinning stories off this report.

Of course, that enterprising reporter should probably go eat a piece of fruit.