New York, July 8 (IANS) Obesity rates in 16 US states climbed over the past year, and not a single state reported a decline in the proportion of excessively overweight people, says a new report.

The report - published by HealthDay News - found that more than 30 percent of the people in 12 states are obese. Four years ago, only one state could make that claim, according to Xinhua.

Twenty years ago, "there wasn't a single state that had an obesity rate above 15 percent, and now every state is above that," said Jeff Levi, executive director of Trust for America's Health that compiled the report.

"We have seen a dramatic shift over a generation. This isn't just about how much people weigh, but it has to do with serious health problems like diabetes and hypertension. These are the things that are driving health care costs," he said.

With the exception of Michigan, the 10 most obese states are in the south. The northeast and west reported the lowest obesity rates. In addition, in eight states, more than 10 percent of adults suffer from type 2 diabetes, the report said.

Mississippi, where 34.4 percent of the people are obese, has the highest obesity rate.

Other states with obesity rates above 30 percent include Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.

Colorado, with an obesity rate of 19.8 percent, is the only state where the rate is less than 20 percent, the report found.