(CNN) -- Mississippi has kept its U.S. heavyweight title for a fifth straight year, among both adults and children. Adult obesity rates went up in 23 states in the past year, a survey shows. The percentage of adults classified as obese went up in 23 states, but Mississippi, with 32.5 percent, stayed atop the latest annual rankings by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Trust for America's Health. The same survey put the state's adult obesity rate at 31.7 percent in 2008. In addition, 44.4 percent of Mississippi children ages 10 to 17 are classified as overweight or obese, the study found.
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Survey: 44.4 percent of Mississippi children ages 10 to 17 are overweight or obese
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Economic slump could put more nutritious food out of the reach of struggling families
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Other top states were West Virginia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina
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The survey used the Body Mass Index standards set by the CDC
The CDC defines someone as obese if they have a @placeholder -- a figure based on a ratio of height to weight -- of 30 or more, while anyone with a BMI between 25 and 30 is considered overweight.