This week here on KHQA, I've been telling you how the Tri-States measures up with the rest of the country when it comes to obesity.

Now, we focus on Northeast Missouri, where the news isn't good.

Check out this data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

It's a county-by-county breakdown of overweight residents in northeast Missouri, based on a survey in 2007.

Being classified as "overweight" means your Body Mass Index, or B-M-I, falls between 25 and 29.

Knox County appears to have the most overweight people - 39 to 45 percent of its residents - followed by Clark and Schuyler Counties.

Scotland, Marion, Monroe and Ralls Counties have the *lowest* amount of overweight people...the other counties fall in the middle.

Here's a breakdown of obesity in Northeast Missouri. 

Residents classified as "obese" have a BMI of 30 or greater.

This is how the counties stack up.

Adair, Lewis and Ralls Counties have the highest number of obese people.

About 35 percent of Adair County residents are obese.

Lewis and Ralls come in second and third, respectively.

All counties in Northeast Missouri ranked higher than the rest of the state when it comes to obesity.

There's no blue or yellow, which indicate a much lower rate of obesity as shown in the rest of the state.

Putnam County had the least amount of obese residents in Northeast Missouri at 29.75 percent.

Here's a wrap-up of my investigation -- our viewers in west central Illinois, southeast Iowa and northeast Missouri are heavier than residents in their respective states.

This is one explanation - residents in rural areas tend to be heavier because adults don't walk to stores or bus stops as they do in cities and larger communities.

Everyone drives to their destinations instead.

The good news is, we've found many programs right here in the Tri-States to get residents started on a healthier track.

European researchers told CBS News last week that being overweight could become a leading cause of cancer in women in western countries.