30% of Ohio children are overweight or obese - 21 News Now, More Local News for Youngstown, Ohio -

WARREN, Ohio - Overall obesity rates haven't increased in Ohio in the last five years, although they haven't decreased either.

"Right now it is disturbing because there are so many factors, so many variables. There isn't just one thing that is the problem. It is many variables, that's the problem," said Trumbull County Health Department Health Educator Mel Milliron.

According to a recent report published by the Ohio Department of Health, one third of all Ohio children are either overweight or obese. Non-Hispanic black and Hispanic children, children residing in Appalachian counties and low income children are at a greater risk than other children.

"Poverty is a huge thing. If you are living in a high poverty area you are more likely not to have the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables. Also, you have this huge thing of food insecurity. You're maybe not getting enough to eat therefore when you do get food to eat you are going to eat as much as you can and that increases that cycle," Milliron said.

Efforts to control the obesity epidemic in Ohio are working in some counties including in Mahoning County where rates have dropped 4.7 percent in the last five years and in Columbiana County where rates have stayed the same.

But, in Trumbull County rates have increased by 4.8 percent since 2005. Milliron says children drinking more than one sugar-sweetened beverage a day have the highest chance of becoming overweight or obese.

"A can of most soft drinks has anywhere from 11 to 14 teaspoons of sugar in that can. Most people will not take 11 teaspoons of sugar and dump it into their coffee and drink it or just dump it down their throat. You don't realize what you're drinking sometimes," Milliron said.

Milliron says this data allows decision makers to develop better public health policies including improving access to fruits and vegetables and improving access to safe places to play.