PORTLAND, Maine — About a third of Maine's adult population is obese, according to a new report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation - the capper to a long-term rise in obesity here and in the nation. Maine has the highest adult obesity rate in the New England.
And of 43 states studied, Maine has the 19th highest rate of obesity among high school students. Dora Mills, a health expert at the University of New England, attributes some of that to food insecurity among low-income Maine households.
"This is the first time in history that high-calorie, poor nutritional foods are actually cheaper than higher nutritional foods," Mills says.
That's one reason why UNE and other organizations around Maine are offering education in how to maximize the nutritional value of a tight budget.