Obesity

Health Sciences Center Publishes Obesity Atlas

Morgantown, W.V. - West Virginians come in all shapes and sizes. But health experts say that in some parts of the state we are becoming larger - and statistics place us on the heavy side of the scale, compared to other parts of the country. It is not just an image problem - being overweight or obese is associated with a long list of health risks, including heart disease, diabetes and stroke.

Obesity in Appalachia: An Atlas of Geographic Disparities, was recently published by the West Virginia University Prevention Research Center's Center for Healthy Communities. The atlas, by Joel Halverson, documents the geographic distribution of obesity in West Virginia and Appalachia.

"By examining where obesity occurs, we hope to see if it is related to certain behaviors or social environment conditions," said Halverson, director of the Office of Social and Environmental Health Research and a member of the community medicine faculty at the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center. "This atlas links the distribution of obesity with the characteristics of individual places, and the distribution of behavioral risk factors and health outcomes for which obesity is a known risk factor."

The atlas provides information such as the prevalence of obesity among adults, as well as information about employment, income, education, health and physical activity by region. It also tracks the characteristics of places, such as the number of grocery stores, fruit and vegetable markets and restaurants in an area, as well as behavioral risk factors such as tobacco use.

"This research is a first step in thinking about why there are geographic differences in obesity frequency," Halverson said. "This will enable us to start asking questions, which in turn should enable us to think about solutions."

"Obesity is a nationwide epidemic," he added. "The prevalence of obesity is increasing everywhere. There are persistent differences among small geographic areas, but in some places the amount of obesity is increasing more rapidly than it is in other places."

According to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, West Virginia ranked third in obesity prevalence in 2000; statistics from the CDC report that 23 percent of the West Virginia population is obese, compared to 17 percent nationally.

"The Center for Healthy Communities is part of Senator Byrd's vision to support obesity prevention, and develop a comprehensive approach for obesity prevention and weight management research," said Robert D'Alessandri, M.D., vice president for Health Sciences at WVU. "This and other research being performed by the Prevention Research Center will help identify strategies that can have national impact."

"Despite the national focus on diet and physical activity, it appears that reasons for variations in obesity prevalence are very localized," said Alan Ducatman, M.D., chair of the community medicine department. "The atlas can suggest allocations of public health resources for reducing obesity, and it can help those who make health policy on local, state and national levels."