Dear Alaska,

Click to enlarge

Story tools

Comments (0)

E-mail a friend

Print

Share on Facebook

Digg this

Seed Newsvine

Send link via AIM

Follow on Twitter

Font size : A | A | A

Time to take a cold, clear look in the mirror. The Centers for Disease Control says you're kind of fat. Especially on the rural edges of the state where obesity rates are some of the worst in the Western United States.

That's according to a report released Nov. 19 that, for the first time, compares region-by-region obesity rates nationwide. It says one of the skinniest places in the state is Anchorage, where "only" about one in four people are obese.

The Dillingham Census area in Southwest Alaska is the heaviest region, with a nearly 37 percent obesity rate. The North Slope Borough and Bethel Census area round out the top three.

State health officials say it's nice to have the new numbers, but warned against making direct comparisons among regions as Alaska's low population makes for a high margin of error. The report reveals a more important point, they say.

When it comes to overall weight gain, Alaska's starting to look a lot like Appalachia and the southeastern United States. That's not good.

"For us the big thing is not that there's something, you know, really bad going on in Dillingham, but why does our whole state have obesity rates that are comparable to some of the highest rates in the country?" said Andrea Fenaughty, a chronic disease epidemiologist for the state.

The newly released regional figures show obesity rates of 30 percent or higher in 13 of 27 Alaska boroughs and census areas. Such rates are closer to the so-called "stroke belt" states like Mississippi and Alabama than the rest of the West.

Alaska's overall obesity rate of 27.1 percent puts the state just above the national average and ranks 22nd heaviest nationwide. But we're the most overweight state this side of Texas according to CDC figures released in July.

So what happened? Alaskans are supposed to be hardscrabble outdoorsy types. Just watch our reality shows.

"It's a combination of the more indoor, inactive lifestyle due to technology, TV and media as well as less hunting and gathering and play outside," said Dr. Gary Ferguson, director of wellness and prevention for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.

While traditional Alaska Native foods like salmon and seal can shield people from diabetes, much of the food on shelves in village stores is the kind of processed goods and sugary drinks that can lead to obesity, he said.

Fenaughty noted that Men's Health magazine recently listed Anchorage as No. 2 on a tally of the most fast-food addicted cities, a list based partly on the number of burger joints and overweight people.

The magazine called the city an "urban waistland."

"That's not great, if you're trying to have low obesity rates," Fenaughty said. "But is it all because there's too many McDonald's? I think that's too simplistic."

The cold weather could hurt, keeping us inside, officials said. But Alaskans get slightly more exercise than the national average and eat about as many fruits and vegetables as the rest of the country, said Karol Fink, obesity prevention and control program manager for the state.

The CDC's region-by-region estimates are for 2007. They're based on random phone surveys conducted by state health departments and paired with Census data. The idea is to help state officials get an idea of public health problems in their region.

An estimated $477 million is spent in Alaska every year on obesity-related medical costs, Fink said.

Actual obesity rates -- calculated on how much you should weigh for your height -- are probably a little higher than those reported in the study, said CDC spokeswoman Karen Hunter. "Both genders tend to overestimate their height, and women tend to underestimate their weight."

In 2008, the obesity rate for low-income, pre-school aged American Indian and Alaska Native children was 21.2 percent, the highest youth rate among all race and ethnic groups, the CDC reports.

In the Anchorage school district, obesity rates have leveled off over the past five years, though statewide the percentage of obese and overweight adults is growing by about 1 percentage point per year, Fink said.

The Centers for Disease Control report claims the Wrangell and Petersburg Census area is the thinnest, with an obesity rate of 24.6 percent.

There are signs that region is bulking up, too.

Heather Feller opened a women's clothing store in Wrangell about five years ago. "When I first started my store I started out with junior sizes, and then I needed to get plus sizes," she said.

Now she sells men's clothing as well.

"There's a lot of beer bellies in town as far as the guys," she said.

Read The Village, the ADN's blog about rural Alaska, at adn.com/thevillage. Twitter updates: twitter.com/adnvillage. Call Kyle Hopkins at 257-4334.

ADVERTISEMENT