Obesity rate climbing in Islands

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

The number of obese residents in Hawai'i is rising at an alarming rate and health officials have declared obesity as the top concern in the state.

A survey released today by the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that in 2000, nearly 15 percent of Hawai'i's adults were obese — compared with 8.4 percent in 1991.

In all, about 35 percent of Hawai'i's residents were considered overweight in 2000. The survey showed that 19.6 percent of the nation's people obese in 2000, compared with 11.4 percent in 1991.

State Department of Health Director Bruce Anderson said obesity is a problem among adults and children that can lead to other health problems, including heart disease and diabetes.

"The bottom line is people are eating more than they should and not exercising. It's not complicated," Anderson said. He said poor eating habits and a lack of exercise is "creating a generation of couch potatoes."

But Hawai'i isn't alone in the problem. The study found that obesity has increased in all 47 states surveyed on the topic.

The study was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to look at the nation's health habits. The researchers compiled results from monthly state telephone surveys of adults 18 and older, collected randomly from 1991 to 2000. Researches used a formula factoring in height and weight to determine if a person rated 30 or more on a measure called the Body Mass Index.

To combat the problem, the state recently launched a "Healthy Hawai'i" program to encourage residents to change their lifestyles. Anderson said the campaign is financed by tobacco settlement money.

"We're just now seeing ads on TV and elsewhere that basically promote the idea of taking small steps to change your lifestyle and to encourage exercise and eating healthy foods. The whole idea is to just get started," he said. But Anderson said it is difficult to change lifestyles and it will take years before changes — if any — will be seen.

The other area where changes are needed is binge drinking, Anderson said. Although the survey numbers were fairly steady — with 11.1 percent reporting binge drinking in 1999 compared with 12.4 percent in 1991 — Anderson said Hawai'i still ranks in the top one-third for alcohol consumption per capita. Binge drinking is defined as downing five or more alcoholic beverages at least once in the past month.

Anderson said there are programs to target underage drinking, but the state needs to spend more to prevent alcohol abuse among adults.

But Anderson said he was pleased with the overall trends in the survey, which he said shows Hawai'i as being among the top states in health and wellness.

Other highlights of the survey for Hawai'i:

• Smoking — 17.8 percent said they smoked in 2000, compared with 19.5 in 1991. Anderson said the decline is a result of the state's anti-smoking campaign, which also is financed by the tobacco money.
• Physical inactivity — 17.7 percent said they did not take part in any physical activity within a month of the survey in 2000, compared with 19.5 percent in 1992.
• Seat-belt use — Fewer people (88 percent) reported buckling up in 1997 than in 1991 (90 percent).
• Mammography — 78.3 percent reported taking an exam in 2000, an increase from 69.4 percent in 1991.
• Cervical cancer screening — 91.1 percent said they were screened in 2000, up from 88.8 percent six years earlier.
• Colorectal cancer screening — 35.4 percent reported taking an exam, compared with 32.1 percent in 1993.
• Cholesterol screening — The number of people checking their cholesterol remained unchanged at 73 percent in 1999 when compared with 1991.
• Influenza vaccination — 68 percent had a flu shot in 1999, compared with 49.7 percent in 1993.
• Pneumococcal vaccination — 52.3 percent were vaccinated in 1999, compared with 37.6 in 1993.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.