Leanest state resting on its ever-swelling laurels

Despite top marks in obesity study, Colorado gaining

John C. Ensslin, Rocky Mountain News

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Coloradans are among the skinniest people in the nation, according to a new obesity report, but don't go celebrate with a slice of New York cheesecake.

Colorado's waistline is expanding just like every other state's.

According to the Trust for America's Health, which compiled the report released Monday,Colorado has some of the lowest rates in the country of overweight residents, physical inactivity, hypertension and childhood obesity. Overall, it ranks as the leanest state in the study.

Still, Coloradans are not immune to a trend identified in the 120-page report titled "F as in Fat - How Obesity Policies are Failing in America."

Adult obesity rates in Colorado climbed from 16.9 percent to 17.6 percent last year, a figure that is above the 15 percent that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has set as a goal for all states by 2010.

Lt. Gov. Barbara O'Brien hailed the report's findings regarding Colorado, but noted that the state nevertheless is putting on some pounds.

O'Brien, who chairs the Metro Denver Health and Fitness Commission, said the report echoes the findings of a survey the commission released in July on obesity rates in the 25 largest U.S. metropolitan areas.

"But our commission was formed because our trends are getting worse and our increasing obesity rates are as bad as all the other states," O'Brien said. She noted that 54 percent of Coloradans are either obese or overweight.

"When you look at all the illnesses that are linked to being overweight or obese, that's not a very proud first place to be in," she said.

There are several efforts underway to counteract that trend in Colorado.

O'Brien said the commission is trying to persuade school districts not to drop physical education classes. There also are efforts to convince employers that allow breaks to make them "walking breaks."

She cited an effort by Broomfield officials to encourage more walking near county offices by marking off the number of steps leading up to the building.

The new report itself cites two programs under way in Colorado.

One is a federally funded effort by the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center to encourage school-age children to eat more fruits and vegetables.

Cathy Romaniello, of the department of pediatrics, said the program, which started in 1993, reaches about 24,000 children statewide from kindergarten through fifth grade.

The program encourages kids to prepare their own snacks from fruits and vegetables, sometimes incorporating books like Carlos and the Squash Plant into the lessons. The book tells the story of a youngster who is so bad at keeping his ears clean, a squash grows out of them. The kids read the book, then cook calabacitas, which is Spanish for "little squashes."

The report also cited a pilot project in which obese Medicaid clients are offered free telephone counseling sessions aimed at reducing their weight.

On the negative side, the report points out that Colorado and Oklahoma are the only two states that do not require schools to provide health education.

Here's the skinny

TOP STATES FOR OBESITY

1. Mississippi

2. West Virginia

3. Alabama

4. Louisiana

5. South Carolina

5. Tennessee (tied)

LEANEST STATES

1. Colorado

2. Massachusetts

3. Vermont

4. Hawaii

4. Connecticut (tied)

COLORADO'S OBESITY RATE

• 1990   6.9 percent

• 1995   10.1 percent

• 2000   14.2 percent

• 2006   17.6 percent

COLORADO OVERWEIGHT RATE

• 1990   29.8 percent

• 1995   35.2 percent

• 2000   33.8 percent

• 2006   36.2 percentSources: Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, Trust For America'S Health Study

Measuring obesity rates

• What is considered obese: A body-mass index greater than 30

• Ratio range: Overweight range is 25 to 29.9. Normal is 18.5 to 24.9, with height and weight taken into account.Source: Trust For America'S Health Survey

ensslinj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5291