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Wisconsin tumbles 2 spots in national health rankings

Wisconsin dropped two spots to No. 12 in the 2007 America’s Health Rankings report released Monday.

Reasons for the drop include high amounts of binge drinking, an increase in violent crime and a statewide increase in obesity. The report, authored by the United Health Foundation, “measures the overall healthiness of states and the nation using a … set of related health determinants and health outcomes.”

According to the report, the health of the country as a whole has declined between 2006 and 2007 due to increasing rates of obesity and a growing number of children in poverty — both of which ring true in Wisconsin as well.

Unlike the national trend, Wisconsin’s health strengths include high immunization coverage of children, with 86.8 percent of children ages 19 to 35 months receiving all required shots, according to the report. The state is also ranked highly because of high secondary school graduation rates and a high 91.2 percent of the population being covered by health insurance.

One of the central health problems in Wisconsin, the report said, is obesity. In 2007, 26.6 percent of Wisconsin residents were obese — a drastic increase from the 11.3 percent of the state’s population considered obese in 1990.

University of Wisconsin Nutritional Sciences professor Dale Schoeller said the large increase in the percentage of obese residents is worrisome.

“The average weight change of adults in the U.S. since 1990 is about 20 pounds,” Schoeller said. “That is enough to create that dramatic increase in the obesity and overweight [categories].”

Schoeller added in 1990, many Wisconsin residents were on the brink of being classified as obese, and by gaining only a few additional pounds, were pushed into the category.

“The increase in obesity has been seen in every demographic category,” Schoeller said.

The obesity epidemic plaguing Wisconsin is being combated by the state. Schoeller cited the University Prevention Group as one avenue the state is taking to address the problem.

“The governor, several years ago, also established the expert advisory committee to combat obesity,” Schoeller said. “The state is one of the recipients of the Center for Disease Control partnership.”

The Wisconsin Partnership for Activity and Nutrition, a CDC partnership, creates relationships between organizations throughout the state in hopes of developing programs to increase the health of local populations.

“It’s to reverse the trends in increasing Body Mass Index,” Schoeller said. “[They] develop partnerships across a wide range of organizations … to increase nutrition knowledge and physical activity across the state.”

Schoeller added college students may become members of the obese category after graduating, as UW is located on a large campus and students walk a lot on a daily basis, often without realizing they are doing so.

“[Students] should be aware that when they leave our campus they’re leaving behind a passive program of physical activity,” Schoeller said. “They walk between classes and walk for social events, so their risk of weight gain following graduation is high.”

Vermont, Minnesota and Hawaii were on the top of the list as the healthiest states, while Mississippi and Louisiana are ranked as the unhealthiest.