An analysis of diabetes and obesity on the county level in Tennessee shows that conditions go from bad to worse.
Williamson County has the lowest rates, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention breakdown. But even there 8.8 percent of the adults have been diagnosed with diabetes and almost a quarter of the population is obese.
The state’s highest rates were found in Hardeman County in southwest Tennessee, where 13.1 percent of people have diabetes and 37.5 percent are obese.
The new breakdown on a county level will let counties compare similarities and differences, Dr. Roger Cone, director of the Vanderbilt Institute for Obesity and Metabolism told The Tennessean.
“Like why do two counties have similar risk factors, but different obesity and diabetes rates?” Cone said. “Could it be that one school district has a more rigorous physical education program?”
Some changes are on the way to improve the health of Tennesseans. Starting in March, fast-food chains in Nashville will be required to list calorie contents. It’s a change being considered on the federal level.
“The goal is to have the calorie information available at the point of decision-making for consumers so they can make an informed purchasing decision,” said Tracy Buck, a registered dietitian for the Metro Nashville Health Department.
“Many times people think what they are choosing is the better choice, and it may not be.”
Buck knows what problems contribute to Davidson County’s 30 percent obesity rate: lack of access to healthy food in some areas, neighborhoods without sidewalks, and lots of fast-food restaurants. But she said she’s interested in seeing how Nashville compares to other cities of the same size.
The CDC data shows that Tennessee is not alone in facing these problems. Wide sections of the South and Appalachia have high rates of obesity, including Kentucky and West Virginia. Tennessee ranks as the fourth fattest state in the nation.
The expanding waistline at the state level has forced legislation, particularly in schools, to help turn around those numbers. A law in 2004 restricted the foods that could be served in schools, set standards for nutrition and made physical activity during the school day mandatory.
Another program called Get Fit Tennessee offers resources online to live a healthy lifestyle, but it requires some personal initiative.
“To see a change in behavior, a population’s behavior, what we’re talking about is a culture change, and to do that is to require sustained attention at the state level, a local level and an individual level,” said Dr. Veronica Gunn, chief medical officer for the state Department of Health.
“It has taken us generations to get this way, and it will take some long period of time to establish trends to consistently see improvements. By Jake Lowary,