It was about one year ago, in spring 2020, when the jokes about the “quarantine 15” weight gain began making the rounds. But one year later, a longitudinal cohort study by researchers at the University of California shows that we underestimated the problem. According to the Trust for America’s Health State of Obesity 2020 report, 42.4 percent of U.S. adults are obese, which is the first time the national rate has topped 40 percent. To put this into perspective, the overall rate has increased 26 percent from a mere 13 years ago (2008). In 2012, there was no state with a rate above 35 percent. Data from the 2020 report showed there were 12 states with a rate above 35 percent. Childhood obesity is also growing, with the latest information showing 19.3 percent of young people ages 2 to 19 are obese, as compared to 5.5 percent in the mid-1970s. Data …