38%

Percentage of California students in 5th, 7th and 9th grade who were overweight or obese in 2010, a 1.1% drop since 2005, according to a new study. Imperial County had the highest obesity rate at 47%; Marin County had the lowest rate at 24%, but that figure had increased by 5.5% since 2005. The rate of obesity in Los Angeles was down slightly in 2010 at 42%. The study authors suggest measures like banning the sale of unhealthy foods in schools and increasing access to whole foods in underserved areas to push the obesity rate lower. California currently spends more than $21 billion on obesity-related health costs, more than any other U.S. state. [The Los Angeles Times]