Health and Family

Obesity

Obesity

Often the result of poor nutrition and misinformation, obesity brings with it a host of debilitating health problems and a hefty economic price tag. Virginia is committed to promoting a healthy lifestyle, starting in childhood, to help citizens avoid obesity and live long, productive lives.

Why is This Important?

A healthy community is one in which individuals adopt healthy behaviors such as eating nutritious foods and being physically active, both of which can prevent or control the devastating effects of obesity. Obesity often results in lost workdays, lower productivity, and negative health outcomes, including diabetes and depression; it also strains private and government health care programs. 

Unfortunately, obesity rates in the United States are still generally rising, with few exceptions. Virginia continues to be committed to healthcare programs that help residents avoid or at least reduce the health and economic consequences of obesity.

How is Virginia Doing?

Consistent with trends nationwide, obesity rates in Virginia have been steadily rising for the last decade and more.  In 2001, Virginia was ranked 25th lowest nationally for obesity; by 2010, Virginia had the 20th lowest obesity rate, even though the actual percentage of obese adults has significantly increased. The state's current (2010) 26.4 percent obesity rate is lower than the national average (27.6%) and lower than all our peer states -- Tennessee (31.7%), North Carolina (28.6%), and Maryland (27.9%). Colorado led the nation with 21.4 percent obesity.

Three-year moving averages were used to compare obesity rates among Virginia’s regions. The Southwest region had the highest obesity rate at 34.6 percent in 2010. It was followed closely by the Southside (31.2%) and Eastern (30.5%) regions. The Northern region had the lowest rate of obesity at 20.3 percent.

The 2007 National Survey of Children's Health found that 31 percent of Virginia's 10-to-17 year olds were overweight or obese, an increase since 2003 of 1 percent. This figure puts Virginia just under the national average of 31.6 percent and ranks the state 23rd highest in the country for percentage of overweight or obese children. Virginia's rate was lower than North Carolina (33.5 percent) or Tennessee (36.5 percent), but higher than Maryland (28.8 percent). Utah was lowest in the U.S. at 23.1 percent. Of the states tracked here, only Maryland and North Carolina showed a decrease in percent of overweight or obese children in 2007. [A new survey is now underway (from February 2011-March 2012); look here for an update next spring.]

Research Revelations

In a first-time, state-level, obesity-related health care study, Research Triangle Institute International (RTI) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that Virginia's direct obesity-attributable health care costs reached over $1.6 billion in 2003, approximately 5.7 percent of Virginia's total medical expenditures. Virginia has the 14th-highest obesity-related health care costs in the 50 states. More recent studies from RTI and the CDC indicate that these costs have only continued to spiral upward nationwide.

In a study performed by the University of Baltimore (2005), researchers looked at what states are doing to treat obesity as a threat to public health. The resulting report card graded states on their actions to combat obesity in eight different categories, including significant steps via legislation, regulation and education.  Virginia received a "C" (improved from "D" in 2004) for its efforts to control obesity and a "C" (improved from "F" in 2004) for its efforts to control childhood obesity.

Trust for America's Health conducted a study of state and federal government action in public schools, and Virginia met 4 of the 9 Obesity-Related Standards in School:

• nutritional standards for competitive food (i.e., food sold outside of school meals, such as in vending machines)
• physical education
• health education
• farm-to-school programs (i.e., programs which encourage the supply of fresh local produce to schools).

It did not meet the standards for:

• school meals exceeding USDA requirements
• limited access to competitive foods (e.g., vending machines)
• physical activity
• collection of BMI or health information
• diabetes screening.

What Influences Obesity?

Body weight is the result of genes, metabolism, behavior, environment, culture and socioeconomic status. Overweight and obesity result from an energy imbalance that involves eating too many calories and not getting enough physical activity. Behavior, including poor nutrition, environment, exercise choices, and misinformation play a large role in causing people to be overweight and obese.

What is the State's Role?

The state's primary role in obesity prevention and control is to ensure the development of an aggressive, coordinated strategic plan.  Future plans in Virginia also include the development of an electronic statewide resource guide, which will provide a directory of community programs and initiatives in the Commonwealth, as well as detailed data to support future initiatives.