Obesity, arthritis top list of health woes

More than a third of West Virginia’s adults were diagnosed with some form of arthritis in 2005, the highest prevalence in the nation, a new state report says.

The Mountain State also continues to struggle with high rates of obesity, heart disease, diabetes and hypertension, according to the latest Behavioral Risk Factor Survey Report from the state Bureau for Public Health. The report is based on data collected from telephone surveys in 2004 and 2005.

Nearly one-fourth of adults considered their health to be either fair or poor — 23.5 percent in 2004 and 24.7 percent in 2005. That assessment was most common among seniors, those with the least education or those with the lowest household incomes, the report said.

West Virginia’s obesity rate jumped from 27.6 percent in 2004 to 30.6 percent in 2005, and was the third highest rate in the nation both years. Obesity has increased substantially since 1987, the report said.

“Men and women from a wide range of age, education, and income categories contributed to this unhealthy trend,” the report said.

Poor nutrition and lack of exercise are prevalent in the state. Eighty percent of adults don’t eat enough vegetables and fruits, ranking the state seventh in the nation for this risk factor. About one-fourth of adults — 24.5 percent in 2004 and 28.5 percent in 2005 — were not physically active during leisure time.

Tobacco use also persists in West Virginia. More than 26 percent of adults in both 2004 and 2005 smoked cigarettes, the second highest rate in the nation in 2004 and the fourth highest rate in 2005.

However, alcohol consumption is not a big problem. West Virginia ranked 50th in 2004 and 49th in 2005 for heavy drinking. Only 2.9 percent of West Virginia adults reported heavy drinking in 2004. That rate rose slightly to 3.1 percent in 2005, the report said.

More than 22 percent of residents ages 18 to 64 had no health insurance in both 2004 and 2005.

A report released in June by the New-York Based Commonwealth Fund said West Virginia would rank as one of the healthiest states in the country and could save millions a year if it reduced the number of adults without health insurance by about 50 percent.

McDowell County was the unhealthiest county in the state, ranking first in such risk factors as diabetes, asthma, high cholesterol, arthritis, obesity and lack of health insurance, the report said.

“The way of life here throughout the generations was to purchase less expensive foods, and fatty foods are cheaper foods,” said Cheryl Mitchem, program development director at McDowell County’s Tug Valley Health Association, which runs four clinics. “We’ve been looking at all these factors for years.”

Health problems tend to be more severe in the Southern counties. Mingo County is first in the state in hypertension rates and the lowest percentage of people who exercise. Wyoming County leads the state in the percentage of smokers, with 40 percent of adults. Wyoming County also has the highest percentage of residents who have suffered a heart attack or stroke.

The healthiest county overall is probably Monongalia, where 15 percent of residents reported being in fair or poor health. Monongalia also reported rates of obesity, cigarette smoking, diabetes and hypertension that were among the lowest in the state.

www.timeswv.comsource: