Cunningham, who was not involved in the new study, said it is not clear why rates of severe obesity are going up. Cunningham also said it is not clear why severe obesity rates were higher among women. 

坎宁安没有参与这项新研究，他表示目前尚不清楚严重肥胖率上升的原因。坎宁安还表示，目前尚不清楚为什么女性严重肥胖率更高。 

Reasons could include the effects of hormones, the effects of childbearing or other causes that require further study, she said. 

她说，原因可能包括激素的影响、生育的影响或其他需要进一步研究的原因。 

The new study also found that obesity rates varied by education. Almost 32 percent of people with a bachelor’s degree or higher reported having obesity. In comparison, about 45 percent of those with some college or less had obesity. 

这项新研究还发现，肥胖率因教育程度而异。近 32% 的拥有学士学位或更高学位的人表示患有肥胖症。相比之下，大约 45% 的受过大学或以下教育的人患有肥胖症。 

The new report follows the release earlier this month of data from U.S. states and territories that showed that in 2023, the rate of obesity differed widely by place. 

本月早些时候，美国各州和领地发布的数据显示，2023 年各地的肥胖率存在很大差异。 

The highest obesity levels were in West Virginia. Around 41 percent of adults in the state are obese. 

肥胖率最高的是西弗吉尼亚州。该州大约 41% 的成年人患有肥胖症。 

The lowest levels were in Washington, D.C., with less than 24 percent of adults being obese. 

华盛顿特区的肥胖率最低，成年人肥胖率不到 24%。 

Obesity rates were highest in the Midwest and the South. 

中西部和南部的肥胖率最高。 

All U.S. states and territories had obesity rates higher than 20 percent. In 23 states, more than 1 in 3 adults had obesity, the data showed. Before 2013, no state had a rate that high, said Dr. Alyson Goodman, who leads a CDC team focused on population health. 

美国所有州和地区的肥胖率均超过 20%。数据显示，在 23 个州，超过三分之一的成年人患有肥胖症。CDC 负责人口健康问题的团队负责人艾莉森·古德曼 (Alyson Goodman) 博士表示，2013 年之前，没有哪个州的发病率如此之高。

Color-coded maps show the obesity rates across the U.S. 

颜色编码的地图显示了美国各地的肥胖率 

“Sometimes, when you look at all that red, it’s really discouraging,” Goodman said. 

“有时候，当你看到那些红色时，真的会令人沮丧，”古德曼说。 

But, she added, recent attention on understanding obesity as a metabolic disease and new drug treatments give her hope. 

但是，她补充说，最近人们对将肥胖理解为代谢疾病和新药物治疗的关注给了她希望。 

Preventing obesity is most important, Cunningham said, starting in early childhood. And for people already dealing with obesity, preventing additional weight gain should be the goal. 

坎宁安说，预防肥胖最重要，从幼儿期开始。对于已经患有肥胖症的人来说，防止体重进一步增加应该是目标。