State leaders are counseling patience as they strive to reduce the share of obese Mississippians.

Rankings released Monday by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show nearly 35 percent of Mississippi adults are fat, the worst in the nation. Mississippi also topped the list in each of the previous six years.

Programs to make people eat healthier and exercise more are spreading. For example, the DeSoto County seat of Hernando is getting national attention for its work to encourage healthy living. Meanwhile, the state’s push to slim down schoolchildren has shown promising signs.

Health leaders hope for an eventual turnaround on obesity, which contributes health problems including diabetes, heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure. Some groups, though, say the nation needs to spend more on fighting fat.