The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates 42.4% of adults have the diagnosis of obesity and 9.2% have severe obesity. In 2021, CDC ranked North Carolina 16th in overall obesity compared to the rest of the United States.  In 2022, 40.4% of adults in Lenoir County were clinically obese, 5% greater than the overall rate in North Carolina.   Lenoir County residents live in one of the epicenters of the obesity epidemic.