One thing people often comment on when coming to Oxford is the amount of people they see jogging or walking around town for exercise.

I was reminded of this fact this week. As the weather turned slightly cooler - or perhaps I should just say more bearable - it seems the "walkers" come out in droves.

Oxford is a pretty progressive Mississippi town and quite youthful, considering the college population, but that does not mean we are exempt from some of the problems that plague other Southern towns.

One is hard pressed to turn on the television without seeing a news report, or other program devoted to the obesity crisis in America. After all, "The Biggest Loser" is a huge hit in America, as we tune in to root for overweight candidates to lose their weight.

But between these programs, which presumably are designed to motivate us to slim, we are bombarded with commercials for fat laden fast food, something that has already become an epidemic in America.

Sadly, we Southerners are often no stranger to this crisis. Remember the food article I recently wrote? We are steeped in a tradition of eating well, and although we love veggies, they are not always cooked in a way that is waist-line-friendly.

And although we Southerners have a reputation for taking a slower pace in life, like all Americans, we are time-pressed, and turn often to the fast and inexpensive fast food options that only contribute to our weight issues.

The data on this crisis is everywhere. In August, 2006, Mississippi had the highest obesity rate of any state in the nation. And according to data from the Trust for America's Health, nearly 30 per cent of all adult Mississippians are obese!

But Mississippi isn't alone. It's among the 13 states in which at least one-in-four adult residents is obese - Alabama, West Virginia, Louisiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Indiana, South Carolina and Texas all fall behind and, interestingly enough, most of those are Southern states. The picture of healthy college students power walking on campus, or around town, is one that is more often depicted of people in California than Mississippi.

The encouraging news is that we are not just sitting back and ignoring this evidence. One example I can think of is a campaign that has been launched recently.

Blue Cross Blue Shield, a popular insurance provider, has launched a program called "Let's go walkin' Mississippi." Using popular faces of Mississippians, it hopes to improve our health by encouraging us to walk more often.

So although we are faced with discouraging statistics, perhaps these young college students in Oxford are the new face of Mississippi, or are at least setting an example to other Mississippians. Hopefully, others in our state will follow their lead and make health a higher priority.