Alaska is One of Six States Where Obesity Rates are Still Going Up

 

Guest Blogger: Grace Henscheid, Grassroots Advocacy Director

In early September the State of Obesity Report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Trust of America’s Health was released and it is clear there is still much work to be done in our fight against obesity.

While there are many statistics in the report, one of the numbers that stood out to us was that the obesity rate in Alaska is continuing to increase. In 2013, Alaska ranked the 28th highest obesity rate in the nation with an adult obesity rate of 28.4%, which is up from 25.7% in 2012.

Illustrating the need to continue building communities that encourage healthy eating and active lifestyles. One of the programs the American Heart Association offers for free to people that are trying to improve their health is the “Life’s Simple 7” program. This program helps participants to manage heart health by understanding the importance of getting active, controlling cholesterol, eating better, managing blood pressure, losing weight, reducing blood sugar and stopping smoking.

In addition to this program, the AHA is working in our communities to educate people about their risk factors and how they can take personal control over their health. We are also working with the State to ensure the Obesity Prevention and Control Program is funded to help address this crisis.

While the news about Alaska’s obesity rate might be discouraging we aren’t giving up on turning around this dangerous trend.  With help from advocates like you we believe it is a battle we can win.  If you are interested in seeing how you can get involved, please contact Josh Brown at [email protected].

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