Tuesday, July 21, 2009

West Virginia and Obesity

With the red-hot debate boiling in Washington over healthcare, and while members of Congress sift through thousands of pages of documents, one major cost that health care providers incur is related to obesity: Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance providers.




"More than $300 billion is spent a year for obesity related diseases."































Numerous studies highlight West Virginia's concentrated population of obese residents, and even Huntington has been labelled the "Fattest City in the Nation". The author of "Supersize Me," Morgan Spurlock, hails from Beckley, WV. The West Virginia Health Statistic Center of the WVDHHR illustrates West Virginia obesity rates far above the national average since 1990, by multiple percentage points. The average weight for West Virginia's males and females increased by 30 pounds, since 1984. And many suggest that low socioeconomic status is targeted areas of West Virginia correlates to high obesity patterns.

Further, CDC authorities have labelled the situation in West Virginia as an epidemic, supported by the following numbers from an online forum from the CDC:
  • 64% of West Virginia adults are obese or overweight. (CDC BRFSS, 2002)
  • 28% of non-Hispanic white adults and 37% of non-Hispanic black adults in West Virginia are obese. (CDC BRFSS, 2002)
  • 29% of West Virginia high school students are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. (CDC YRBSS, 2003)
  • 26% of low-income children between two and five years of age in West Virginia are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. (CDC PedNSS, 2002)
  • The obesity rate among West Virginia adults increased by 83% from 1990 to 2002. (CDC BRFSS, 1990, 2002)

So what is the state doing? Well, in 2006 WVU led the way creating an afterschool program to focus on kids dancing their way to better health and weight loss (based on the hit game, Dance Dance Revolution).

Also, the state Legislature passed Senate Bill 414 in the May 2009 special session. Part of its motivation and mission is:

"(3) West Virginia is among the highest in such health care indicators as childhood and adult obesity which provides a direct connection to higher rates of diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, heart disease, pulmonary disorders and comorbid depression experienced in West Virginia. Nearly one third of the rise in health care costs can be attributed to the rise in obesity throughout the state and the nation. Additionally, high rates of chronic illness represents a substantial reduction in worker productivity."

Also, cities like Wheeling are taking the initiative locally to promote programs like "Wheeling Walks". This program has seen dramatic increases in physical activity through programming and marketing campaigns, according to in-house polling.

This is certainly not an exhaustive list of initiative throughout the state. But it does give some hope for a healthier future in West Virginia, made possible by the public and private sectors from government mandates and grassroots initiatives.

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