The Chatham County Public Health Department hosted an obesity prevention retreat on July 29th to bring together individuals and organizations from across the county that are working on the obesity problem. Thirty people from 18 different agencies came together to discuss obesity related programs and policies. The group then discussed ways to coordinate these programs and policies to best help the public. But the conversation is far from over. The purpose of the retreat and future meetings is to develop an obesity prevention plan for Chatham County.
Everyone knows that obesity is a significant public health problem in this country as well as locally. Americans have been getting bigger for the last three decades. Consider this:
In Chatham County:
- According to the 2006 Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS), 59.4% of adults in the Chatham/Lee/Moore region were overweight or obese.
- The 2007 North Carolina Nutrition and Physical Activity Surveillance System (NC-PASS) shows that 19.9% of Chatham County children seen in North Carolina Public Health sponsored WIC, child health clinics, and school based health centers were overweight.
In North Carolina:
- In 2007, nearly two-thirds (64.6 %) of adults in N.C. were either overweight or obese.1
- From 2001 to 2007, the proportion of N.C. adults who were overweight or obese increased from 58.8% to 64.6%. That’s an increase of more than 750,000 people.1
- North Carolina has the 12th highest rate of adult obesity in the nation, at 28.3 percent.2
- North Carolina has the 14th highest of overweight youths (ages 10-17) at 33.5 percent.2
There are many factors that contribute to obesity such as genetics, metabolism, behavior, environment, culture, and socioeconomic status. Reducing and preventing obesity is a complicated problem that involves not just the individual, but the built environment and other areas.
Did you know that where you live can have a big effect on how active you are? Research has shown that people with access to neighborhood parks, trails, and stores tend to be more physically active. There is also a link between neighborhoods that have stores that offer quality produce and the amount of fruit and vegetable consumption. Many low income neighborhoods have “food deserts” where fresh and healthy foods are not available.
It will take a long time to do what the U.S. has been doing for the last several decades. Things such as: urban sprawl, lack of sidewalks and parks in some areas, the low price of processed foods compared to fresh foods, and the ready availability of fast food restaurants.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends addressing the built environment and behavior change to reduce obesity. Click here for CDC recommendations.
Click here for the 2009 F as in Fat report from the Trust for America’s Health. It discusses obesity rates across the country and also recommendations.
1Source: 2007 Data Factoids, Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity in North Carolina Compiled by the N.C. Division of Public Health, Physical Activity and Nutrition Branch
2 F as in Fat 2009, Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)
