Fattest State Weighs Its Options

5. Step away from the fryer.

Uwaifo, who moved to Mississippi two years ago from the Washington, D.C., area, says he was surprised by how Mississippians eat.

"I was amazed at how virtually everything was fried," Uwaifo says. "I've seen oranges dunked in oil" as well as fried bananas and apples.

Uwaifo isn't ruling those foods out totally, but he says if they're dietary staples, "it could be dangerous for your heart, it could add up over time."

6. Launch a public health blitz.

That's something Uwaifo wants to see happen. He likens it to the antismoking public campaign.

"Just the same way we finally got people to understand that the Marlboro Man looked good but all that smoking wasn't good for him and will kill him eventually. That's the sort of public health onslaught I think needs to be put out regarding food. People need to understand that we do end up being what we eat," Uwaifo says, cautioning that messages should be tailored to different ethnic populations and age groups.

"It has to be handled sensitively and carefully. It cannot be one-size-fits-all," Uwaifo says.

If Mississippi really steps up to the plate by making a major commitment to tackle obesity, the state could end up being an obesity underdog. Given the high rate of obesity, even small changes could make a "measurable impact," Uwaifo notes.

7. Make healthy food available and affordable.

This hasn't been as simple as putting in sidewalks. Mississippi is one of the nation's poorest states, and as Uwaifo points out, "as long as it's far cheaper to get high-fat, high-carbohydrate, simple starchy things, whatever public education you put out there is not going to work. People finally have to work with what is in their pocket."

Johnson points to a new farmer's market -- all with local food -- on the Hernando town square on Saturday mornings that is proving popular. It's within walking distance of poor neighborhoods and also draws people from up to 60 miles away, says Johnson, adding that the city's poorest neighborhood also has a new community garden. 

But he's not happy with the choices at local stores in certain neighborhoods.

"We still don't have healthy foods accessible in our lower-income neighborhoods," Johnson says.

"People who don't have a car and who walk to the corner market for their meals, well, their only options are the fried chicken and the fried pizza sticks and all that stuff sitting there in the counter. When you go in these corner stores, there's no fresh vegetables. There may be a brown banana laying there, that's the best you can hope for. So we're trying to encourage that, and that part has not happened here yet," Johnson says.