Published: August 26, 2008 02:19 pm         

Obesity

Report shows much work ahead

The bad news is that in spite of efforts to urge healthier lifestyles, Hoosiers are still getting fatter.

The good news is that we’re not putting on pounds as quickly as other states, and as a result, Indiana no longer ranks among the 10 fattest states in the country.

Now, we’re 11th. A year ago, we were tied for ninth.

Sometimes in life, you take your victories where you can find them.

The report by the Trust for America'’s Health found 27.5 percent of Hoosier adults to be obese, up from 26.8 percent in last year’s report. The Indiana rates were 26.2 percent in the 2006 report and 25.2 percent in 2005.

Indiana was one of 37 states that showed a higher rate of obesity in the past year. No state saw a decrease.

Even the nation’s leanest state is getting fatter. Colorado, the only state with a rate below 20 percent, saw its obesity rate rise to 18.4 percent from last year’s 17.6 percent.

To measure the rates, researchers compared data from 2004-2006 with 2005-2007. Generally, anyone with a body mass index greater than 25 is considered overweight, and someone with an index greater than 30 is considered obese.

For example, a person who is 5 feet, 9 inches tall would be overweight at 169 pounds and obese at 203 pounds.

State health officials see signs that the state’s battle with the bulge is beginning to plateau, and they believe the trend soon will be heading downward.

What might help, they say, is the Indiana Health Department’s new Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity that recently received $435,000 for the first year of a five-year grant from the federal Centers for Disease Control to study and develop a state plan on obesity.

Indiana, and Cass County in particular, would appear to be on the right track in their efforts to encourage healthier lifestyles.

Folks are working to develop recreational activities aimed at getting us off the couch and onto the trails and athletic fields. Logansport Memorial Hospital is working with area schools to encourage healthier eating habits among their students, and with a bit of luck, those efforts might spill over to the adult population.

It’s obvious, though, that there’s more to be done. It’s nice to see some signs of progress, but no one, not even the folks in Colorado, should be resting on their laurels.