According to the eighth annual “
F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future” report, Pennsylvania is now the 19th most obese state in the nation with an obesity rate of 28.5 percent.
The report, published by the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and released in July, cited the following rate increases in Pennsylvania over the past 15 years:
- The combined obesity and overweight rate increased from 52.9 percent to 64.7 percent.
- The diabetes rate increased from 5.8 percent to 9.4 percent.
- The hypertension rate increased from 23.7 percent to 28.9 percent.
Fifteen percent of children and adolescents in Pennsylvania are considered obese. Pennsylvania’s government efforts to prevent and control obesity include limiting when and where food and beverages can be sold outside of school meal programs and establishing
Farm to School programs to improve student nutrition.
Physicians and health systems in Pennsylvania also lead the country in implementing
patient-centered medical homes (PCMH), a health care delivery model that coordinates care across health care entities to improve care for chronic diseases, such as those associated with obesity.
“The medical home is critical for children who are
overweight or obese because their progress must be tracked methodically,” says the
National Center for Medical Home Implementation.
Resources Read the TFAH report.
For resources for your patients, go to PAMED’s
Family Health and Wellness website.
For more on the patient-centered medical home, read the
April issue of the PAMED Better Health Network™ eZine.