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A study commissioned by the California Department of Health and Human Services found that more than half of all the adults in that state are overweight. Almost 53 percent of California residents over the age of 25 are overweight, and more than 17 percent are obese, according to the study. The rates among Hispanics, blacks and adults with less than a high school education exceed 60 percent and the state has one of the fastest increasing rates of adult obesity in the country. Overweight and inactive people cost California $21.7 billion a year in medical bills, injuries and lost productivity, based on the study’s estimates. The state’s governor, former bodybuilder and action movie star Arnold Shwarzenegger, wants junk food taken out of schools and vending machines stocked with fresh vegetables, milk and other healthy food. |