A report compiled by the Trust for America’s Health ranks Maine 27th in the country for its level of obesity. But Maine’s obesity rate of 26.5 percent was the highest in New England. And Maine was one of only 16 states that grew fatter last year.

Dr. Sheila Pinette, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, says the state is targeting residents with several programs aimed at getting them to eat healthier food.

But she says the “discouraging” obesity epidemic took years to create and she says it’ll take years to resolve. She says “it’s a cultural change and it’s going to take time.”