This week the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention released its latest map showing adult obesity rates in individual states. According to the CDC’s annual Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) report, Mississippi is America’s most obese state for the sixth year in a row. The report shows that over one-third of Mississippians, 34.9%, are obese. Louisiana comes closest to Mississippi with 33.4% of its citizens classified as obese, and West Virginia rounds out the top three with a 32.4% obesity rate.

On the other side of the spectrum, Colorado is the least obese (though not exactly trim) state with only one-fifth, 20.7%, of its population being obese. Hawaii (21.8%) and Massachusetts (22.7%) round out the top three least-obese states.

The Southern states topping the most obese list and the western states topping the least obese list are no anomalies. The South had the highest precentage of adult obesity with 29.5%, while Western states had fewer obese people, with a 24.3% rate. The Midwestern states do rival the south’s size, though, with a 29% obesity rate. In fact, around a dozen Southern and Midwestern states are heavily tipping these rates higher with extremely high obesity rates. According to the CDC, Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and West Virginia all have obesity rates above 30%. The Northeastern states are closer to Western states, with a 25.3% obesity rate.

A full list of states and the prevalence of obesity for the people who live in them can be found on the CDC website.

When considering what these statistics say about the size of Americans, remember that these averages only include Americans who are obese. It does not include the number of Americans who are simply overweight. The CDC considers an adult who has a body mass index (BMI) of over 30 to be obese. Adults with a BMI between 25 and 29.9 are considered overweight.

(Picture courtesy CDC)

If you went to a crowded pool this weekend, or if you plan to the rest of this summer, you might want to think about taking a long shower afterwards. A new study published in the Huffington Post reveals that 1 in 5 Americans Pee in the pool.

The study was conducted by the Water Quality and Health Council, who found that not only were people admitting to peeing in the pool, but 7 in 10 people said they didn’t take a shower before getting in.

According to the Chair of the Water Quality and Health Council, Dr. Chris Wiant; “Swimming is not a substitute for bathing. Too many people unknowingly treat the pool as a communal bathtub. It may seem counterintuitive, but it’s important to shower before you jump in the pool to help keep swimming healthy for everyone in the pool.”

Sweat, cosmetics, sunscreen, hair products, fecal matter and dirt can mix with chlorine to create irritants that cause skin rashes and irritate the eyes. These irritants are what cause red eyes after swimming, and the strong chemical smell some pools have, not chlorine.

It is also important to recognize that chlorine does not kill all germs. The Huffington Post notes that bacteria like Cryptosporidium can still survive in Chlorine. This germ is responsible for half of all gastrointestinal outbreaks.

There is really no way to avoid any of this, except to stay away from public swimming pools al together… Which isn’t a bad idea for many reasons.

The average American watches about 153 hours of TV per month at home. This is an increase of 1.2% from last year. 131 million Americans watch video on the web, and on average, they watch about 3 hours of video online each month between home and work.

13.4 million Americans watch video on mobile phones. On average, they watch about 3.5 hours of mobile video per month. Take a look at these charts from Nielsen:

It all points to Americans watching more video altogether. Online video in particular has seen a 13% increase in the first quarter of the year. Nielsen attributes this to strong brand marketing and large media events including the Presidential Inauguration, the Super Bowl, and March Madness.

"With broadband levels increasing in the U.S., online video audiences will continue to grow as consumers begin to upgrade their PCs to support increased video consumption," says Nielsen.

Mobile video has increased by a whopping 52% from a year ago. This is attributed to an increase in available mobile content and the rise of the mobile web as an option.

Sort of, anyway. The specific questions asked in the phone survey included whether respondents had experienced 10 specific problems recently. All of the problems included need access to the government or government-provided information. Of the respondents who had experienced at least one of those problems, 58% of them turned to the Internet for answers. Only 13% of them turned to the library for help. The ten specific problems:

1. dealing with a serious illness or health concern
2. making a decision about school enrollment, financing school, or upgrading work skills
3. dealing with a tax matter
4. changing a job or starting a business
5. getting information about Medicare, Medicaid, or food stamps
6. getting information about Social Security or military benefits
7. getting information about voter registration or a government policy
8. seeking helping on a local government matter such as a traffic problem or schools
9. becoming involved in a legal matter
10. becoming a citizen or helping another person with an immigration matter.

Before we despair the plight of the outdated book repository model, another key finding was that 53% of respondents actually do visit libraries (physically, not just their websites) for all kinds of things. The release continues:

Furthermore, it is young adults who are the most likely to say they will use libraries in the future when they encounter problems: 40% of Gen Y said they would do that, compared with 20% of those above age 30 who say they would go to a library.

Naturally, people without Internet access (23% of those surveyed) tend to turn to libraries and government agencies directly.

via 1 and 2

Comments

The report found that 43 percent of U.S. adults had heard of the switch to digital TV, up from one-third who said the same in 2006.

"February 17, 2009 is now less than fifteen months away, yet the majority of Americans remain in the dark about the consequences of the digital TV transition that will occur on that day," said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, Inc.

"With tens of millions of TV sets currently receiving only analog broadcast TV, much work will need to be done over the next fifteen months to build awareness of the digital transition and drive whatever consumer action is needed to prepare for it."

Among those who are not currently subscribing to cable or satellite, close to one-fifth said they were aware of the digital transition and understood how it would affect their households.

Fifty-six percent of those households with an annual income of over $75,000 say they have heard of the digital transition compared to 36 percent of those in households with an annual income less than $75,000.

This new study polled 1000 U.S. adults using Synovate eNation and took place between July 30, 2007 and August 1, 2007. The survey’s results prove that blogging has now officially entered the mainstream.

Not only do Americans know what blogs are and have visited a blog in the past, blog loyalty is strong–46 percent of those who read blogs said that they visit the same blogs on a regular basis–versus 54 percent who surf the internet for new and different blogs.

What’s interesting to note, also, is that the awareness and usage of blogs, (along with people who have their own blog) “strongly correlates to age, with younger people being much more active. About 90 percent of people aged 25-34 know what a blog is. Only 65 percent of those aged 65 or over know what a blog is. Further more, 78 percent of the respondents aged 18 to 24 who are aware of blogs said that they have visited a blog, compared to only 45 percent of older Americans.

More Women are Bloggers

According to the results of the survey, more women than men are bloggers. 20 percent of American women who have visited blogs have their own blog. 14 percent of American men who have visited blogs have their own blog.

Blog Popularity

Over the years, as blogs have become more popular, the frequency with which blogs are being read is growing. According to Synovate, “Though the majority of blog readers (39%) view them less than once a month, another 28% visit them monthly, 15% visit them daily and 5% read them several times a day.”

Blogs as a Marketing Tool

As blogs have continued to grow and more and more people are using them, visiting them, and reading them, the atractiveness of blogs as a marketing tool is rising. The survey results show that 43 percent of blog visitors indicated that they have seen ads on blog. This has been steadily rising, 61 percent among those aged 18 to 24 have said that they notice ads on blogs. “Almost one-third of consumers have clicked on an ad while reading a blog”, according to the survey results.

Blogs Not Replacing Other Media

Apparently blogs are not replacing other media, though. Only thirteen percent of those who read blogs on a regular basis say that they spend less time with other forms of media (newspapers, television, radio) since they’ve started reading blogs.

“Because anyone can start one anytime, blogs are not necessarily seen as legitimate information sources despite the fact that some bloggers are experts in their area,” said Mularz. “However, as their prominence and influence continues to rise, this could certainly change.”

When asked about the types of information they get from blogs, sixty five percent of survey respondents said that they get opinions from blogs–39 percent get news and 38 percent get entertainment from blogs that they read. About one third read gossip on blogs. Only 2 percent use blogs to keep up with news about their family members and their friends.

Why Do We Read Blogs?

According to the blog survey, half of read blogs because it’s entertaining. 26 percent read them to find out more about our hobbies or other topics we’re interested in. But only 15 percent say that we read blogs for the news–which means that other forms of media are still popular for news.

Why Don’t We Read Blogs?

Of the survey respondents to said that they have never read a blog, the biggest reason was that they’re “just not interested”. 15 percent reported that they just don’t care about the ideas and opinions of bloggers.

Synovate, the company that performed the survey, is the market research arm of Aegis Group plc. Synovate generates consumer insights that drive competitive marketing solutions. The network provides clients with cohesive global support and a comprehensive suite of research solutions. Synovate employs over 5,700 staff in 118 cities across 52 countries.

Comments

Americans Blogging Habits

"Eight percent of Americans currently have their own blog," said Tom Mularz, senior vice president at Synovate. "This is surprising given that a few years ago hardly anyone knew what a blog was."

Loyalty to specific blogs is relatively strong with 46 percent of blog readers reporting that they visit the same blogs regularly compared to 54 percent who search for new or different blogs.

Awareness and usage of blogs, along with people writing their own correlates to age, with younger people being more active. Close to 90 percent of people ages 25 to 34 know what a blog is, compared to 65 percent of those 65 and over. Seventy-eight percent of those ages 18 to 24 who are aware of blogs have visited a blog, compared to 45 percent of older Americans.

The survey found that there are more women bloggers than men, with 20 percent of American women who have visited blogs have their own versus 14 percent of men.

When it comes to reading blogs 39 percent read them less than once a month, another 28 percent visit them monthly, 15 percent visit them daily and 5 percent read them several times a day.

While blog usage continues to grow, so does its potential as a marketing tool. Forty-three percent of blog visitors said they had noticed advertising on blog sites, increasing to 61 percent among those ages 18 to 24. Around one-third of readers have clicked on an ad while reading a blog.

Even though people are spending more time with blogs they are not replacing other media. Only 13 percent of blog readers said they spend less time with other forms of media (newspapers, television, radio) since they started following blogs.

"Because anyone can start one anytime, blogs are not necessarily seen as legitimate information sources despite the fact that some bloggers are experts in their area," said Mularz. "However, as their prominence and influence continues to rise, this could certainly change."

When questioned about the kind of information they get from blogs, 65 percent said they get opinions, 39 percent get news and 38 percent get entertainment.

On the main reason people read blogs, close to half said they find blogs entertaining, and another 26 percent read them to learn about hobbies or other areas they are interested in.

The study found that the Internet was a more popular resource for health information than traditional media such as newspapers /magazines (30%), television (26%) and books (25%).

Along with this research, Ask.com has introduced Health Smart Answers that help people find health and medical information. Smart Answers are search results placed at the top of the results page that offer editorially- selected information and links to content.

The study also found that 73 percent of adults want to be more informed about their personal health along with the well being of friends and family. Two-thirds of Americans search to find information to help them diagnose or better understand a condition, and over half say they do the same for friends and family (55%).

"With so many Americans looking for health information online, it is critical that search engines make it easy for people to get reliable and accurate information," said Doug Leeds, vice president of product management at Ask.com.

"Our new Health Smart Answers provide quick access to trusted information searchers are looking for, right at the top of the search results page. While other search engines require people to ‘hunt and peck’ through an ocean of web links, Ask.com makes it easy to find the best information quickly."

Ninety-one percent of adults said that drivers distracted by sending text messages or emails were as dangerous as drivers who had been drinking. Even though the majority of adults believed that driving while texting is dangerous, 66 percent said they have read text messages or emails while driving, and 57 percent said they sent text messages while driving.

"We all know that distracted driving is dangerous, especially when drivers take their eyes off the road to text message," said Greg Woock, CEO of Pinger. "But, as these numbers show, people want to stay connected when they’re on the go."

State governments are beginning to address the issue of driving while texting. The state of Washington passed the nation’s first ban on texting while driving in May of this year and six other states including New York, California and Florida are considering similar legislation.

The survey also found that 64 percent of adults who sent text messages while driving were between the ages of 18 and 34, while only 6 percent were 55 or older. Men and women sent text messages while driving at equal rates.

The survey was conducted online in the U.S. between June 29 and July 3 among 2,049 adults.

The average email user checks mail about five times a day, and 59 percent of those with portable devices are using them to check email whenever a new message arrives. Forty-three percent of email users with portable devices keep the device close by even while they are sleeping to listen for incoming mail.

Fifteen percent of Americans say they are "addicted to email" and many plan their vacations with email access in mind. Around four in ten email users say it is "very" or "somewhat" important to think about email accessibility when planning a vacation and 83 percent say they check their email once a day while on vacation.

Fifty-nine percent of people emailing from portable devices are checking email in bed, 53 percent in the bathroom, 37 percent are checking email while driving and 12 percent said they check email in church.

"Email is becoming more and more accessible, and people continue to take advantage of that," said Regina Lewis, AOL Online Consumer Advisor.

"As the survey data shows, portable devices – like email itself – are becoming more prevalent and easier to use. Because you can access email services like AOL from virtually anywhere and on almost any wireless device, it is easier to stay connected to work, home, family and friends through email — and instant messaging as well — than any other form of communication."

The AOL survey was based on interviews done online with 4,025 Americans age 13 and over.