As a companion piece to support the recently released Eat Smart, Move More County Profiles, the N.C. Division of Public Health has released a ranking of the state’s counties and regions by the percentage of residents who are either overweight or obese.
Using 2005 data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), North Carolina counties or regions were ranked from highest to lowest according to the Body Mass Index (BMI) of those surveyed. The rankings also list the counties and regions by the percentage of residents who eat five or more fruits and vegetable per day, and the percentage who meet physical activity recommendations.
The new rankings provide local health officials with information they can use to identify areas of success and concern as they work to reduce rates of obesity in their communities. Regardless of where a county falls in the rankings, all the counties of North Carolina still face an uphill battle in reversing the rising rates of obesity in the state.
Released in August during a national obesity summit in Raleigh, the Eat Smart, Move More County Profiles – one of which has been created for each of the state’s 100 counties – highlight the successes and needs of each county in the state in the area of obesity prevention. The newly released rankings can be used in conjunction with the County Profiles to demonstrate the need for increased funding and community support for obesity prevention efforts at the county level.
Posted Monday, October 23, 2006