Nationally, obesity-related problems results in $75 billion in annual medical expenditures. More than half, or $39 billion, is paid by taxpayers through the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

That's about $175 per American, obese or not.

Obesity can lead to a host of medical problems, including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. Many of these problems can be costly to treat.

The study, the details of which are to be published Friday in the journal Obesity Research, evaluates state-by-state expenditures related to weight problems.

The research was done by the nonprofit group RTI International and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the study, states' obesity-related spending varies, from a low of 4 percent in Arizona to a high of 6.7 percent in Alaska. Nationwide, 5.7 percent of the $1.6 trillion in annual health spending is used to treat problems stemming from obesity.

California spends the most on health care for the obese, $7.7 billion, and Wyoming spends the least, $87 million.

"Obesity has become a crucial health problem for our nation, and these findings show that the medical costs alone reflect the significance of the challenge," said Tommy Thompson, secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services. "Of course, the ultimate cost to Americans is measured in chronic disease and early death."

According to the CDC, about 12 percent of adults were obese in 1991. That number grew to 21 percent in 2001.

In South Carolina, 21.7 percent of the population is obese, a growth of 57 percent over the past decade.

Few expect these numbers to improve, especially as increasing numbers of children are reported to be overweight.

"You can rest assured the rates among adults are going to be even higher as those kids and teens become adults," said Dr. Patrick O'Neil, director of the Weight Management Center at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Physicians are seeing more people with health problems because they're overweight, said Dr. Denise Bruner, chair of the board of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians.

Obesity should be treated and prevented more aggressively through public health programs to encourage healthy diets and exercise, said Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit health advocacy group.

"It would certainly make for happier lives and also save medical expenses," he said. "A healthy population would save taxpayers a huge amount of money."

O'Neil said more money needs to be focused on research into the causes of obesity.

He also said more emphasis needs to be placed on physical activity and nutrition and that Americans themselves need to be more careful about their own lifestyles and eating habits.

"If you got word that al-Qaida was about to unleash some bio-warfare method that cost $75 billion a year, you would get everybody's attention," O'Neil said. "But we are living with that year after year in the case of obesity. It's only going to get higher. Health care costs are increasing. So is the prevalence of obesity."

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