Research Objective: On behalf of the Appalachian Funders Network, with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, East Tennessee State University and NORC at the University of Chicago documented the current burden of obesity, diabetes, and chronic disease mortality in central Appalachia. An analysis of county-level data was conducted in order to provide a comprehensive picture of the health condition of the region. Contributing factors, such as physical inactivity and food environment, were also investigated to determine how the built environment impacts obesity.
Study Design: Several secondary data sources were utilized, including the County Health Rankings, CDC Diabetes Interactive Atlas, USDA Food Environment Atlas, and mortality data from the CDC National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System. Variables analyzed included: adult obesity prevalence, adult diabetes prevalence, food insecurity, access to exercise opportunities, physical inactivity, and premature chronic disease mortality. The mortality analyses focused on four of the leading causes of death: heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and chronic lower respiratory disease, for persons age 25 to 64 from 2009 to 2013. When available, county-level estimates were used to create maps of the region, documenting the disparities compared to the rest of the nation.
Population Studied: Health disparities were documented within the counties of central Appalachia, consisting of parts of Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Principal Findings: More than two-thirds (68.6%) of the 234 counties in central Appalachia have an adult obesity prevalence above the national median of 30.9% (defined as BMI over 30). Over 85% of the counties in central Appalachia have a percentage of physically inactive adults higher than the national median of 26.4% (defined as not participating in physical activity or exercise in the past 30 days).
When analyzing the combined chronic disease mortality for heart disease, stroke, diabetes and chronic lower respiratory disease, the combined national mortality rate is 93.0 deaths per 100,000 population. Nearly 90% of central Appalachian counties have a higher combined morality rate, and the state mortality rate for the Appalachian region of all six states is higher than the national rate. The disparity is more pronounced in rural communities, as the rural counties of central Appalachia have a higher mortality rate than urban counties within central Appalachia and rural counties across the United States. The combined mortality rate for these four diseases is 74% higher in rural central Appalachia than urban counties nationally.
Conclusions: Compared to the rest of the country, people in central Appalachia are more likely to experience and prematurely die from obesity-related chronic disease, including diabetes and heart disease. Residents of rural central Appalachia face even more significant disparities as compared to urban residents within the region and nationally.
Implications for Policy or Practice: Obesity and chronic disease in central Appalachia are significant public health concerns that must be addressed in order to improve the health of the region.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ETSU/oai:dc.etsu.edu:etsu-works-8098 |
| Date | 26 June 2016 |
| Creators | Meit, Michael, Beatty, Kate E., Heffernan, Megan, Masters, Paula, Slawson, Deborah, Kidwell, Ginny, Fey, James, Lovelace, Alyssa |
| Publisher | Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University |
| Source Sets | East Tennessee State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | ETSU Faculty Works |
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