The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new data on America’s weight problem and it’s not good for our nation.

The rate of adult obesity rose 30 percent in 17 years while the children’s rates have risen roughly 34 percent from 1999-2016.

Obesity has a huge impact on health care, the most dire being that it can lead to shorter lives since it drives up the risk for cancer, cardiovascular disease and chronic conditions such as diabetes and arthritis.

Obesity rates for adult Latinos in 2015-16 were 47 percent and 46.8 percent for non-Hispanic blacks. The rate for non-Hispanic white American adults was 37.9 percent.

Non-Hispanic Asian adults fared much better, with an obesity rate of 12.9 percent.

Rates among women along racial lines were especially troubling. While white men and women were equally likely to be obese, rates of obesity in black women (54.8 percent) and Latinas (50.6 percent) were much higher than among their male counterparts (36.9 percent and 43.1 percent, respectively).

Global obesity is also at a crisis point. Researchers from Imperial College London found that the number of obese people worldwide escalated from 105 million in 1975 to 641 million in 2014.

As reflected in America’s nonwhite female population, women are more likely to be obese globally. There were some 375 million obese women in the world in 2014, compared with 266 million obese men.

English-speaking countries are more highly affected by obesity. Almost a fifth of the world’s obese population live in just six English-speaking countries — Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the U.S.

Environmental and lifestyle influences affect obesity rates as much as personal willpower. Many experts say the car, TV, computers, desk jobs, high-calorie food, and clever food marketing all contribute by encouraging inactivity and overeating.

In 2015 the World Health Organization ranked the U.S. 31st in life expectancy (79.3).

There are healthy role models in the world. Earlier this year, Health Fitness Revolution, a magazine focusing on healthy lifestyle, ranked the Top 10 healthiest countries in the world.

The French, known to eat well-balanced meals (in small portions), drink a moderate amount of red wine and walk a lot, ranked 10th with a life expectancy of 81.56.

The Italians, whose Mediterranean diet is rich in olive oil and fish, were ninth (81.95 life expectancy).

Australians, rank eighth (81.98), making use of natural foods found within their country as well as emphasizing outdoor sports like surfing, swimming, rugby, hiking or biking.

The Swiss, ranked seventh (82.28), are helped greatly by their environment, including the mountains which serve as their year-round playground — skiing in winter sports and hiking and mountaineering in summer.

Tiny Andorra, a sovereign landlocked microstate nestled in the mountains between France and Spain, ranked sixth with a life expectancy of 82.58.

With Olympics as part of its ancient culture, fifth-ranked Greece has benefited from a balanced Mediterranean diet of olive oil and fish. This has translated into a life expectancy of 82.98.

Spain, ranked fourth, also features smaller meal portions and a midday nap that helps lower stress levels.

Singapore, at number 3, has some of the best hygiene rules and regulations in the world, helping its citizens to live longer (84.07).

Second-ranked Japan (84.19), has a strong diet that features fish over red meat, seaweed (high in iodine) and vegetables. Green tea is a drink of choice and they are less dependent on dairy products.

Ranked number 1 with a life expectancy of 89.63 is Monaco, whose wealthy population enjoys reduced levels of stress and can afford personal chefs for nutritious meals.

While most Americans can’t afford a personal chef, we can learn from those healthier nations and develop our own strategies.

It doesn’t cost anything to walk rather than ride and eat smaller portions.

Our bodies can also benefit from homegrown or grass-fed and free-range meat and dairy products rather than chemically enhanced processed foods.

By Jim Zbick | tneditor@tnonline.com