It's become a sadly familiar ritual: another national study, another ranking for West Virginia among the least healthy states in the country.

The latest is a Trust for America's Health report released Tuesday that calls the Mountain State the second most obese in the country, with 30.6 percent of adults fitting the bill.

But despite the bad news, there may be reasons for hope.

State government and private groups have taken an aggressive approach to curbing the state's obesity problem, and those efforts are starting to bear fruit.

For example, West Virginia's childhood obesity rate is declining.

Lara Ramsburg, spokeswoman for Gov. Joe Manchin, said health promotion may take years to pay off, but the early signs are good.