Obesity is an extra-large problem in Hillsdale County.
According to the Michigan Department of Community Health, Hillsdale County’s weight statistics place it on par with the state of Michigan, with 37.9 percent of its adult population identified as overweight and 26.1 percent classified as obese. Michigan, which has a 35.1 percent obesity rate, is the eighth fattest state in the U.S., as reported by the Center for Disease Control.
Childhood obesity is also on the rise in the community. In a Michigan Profile for Healthy Youth survey in 2010, high school students in Hillsdale County reported a 36.1 percent obesity rate, more than double the national rate of 17.4 percent.
Denise Lovinger, a registered dietician and certified diabetes expert, has observed the prevalence of obese children increase over her 20 years at the Hillsdale Community Health Center.
“I see junior high and high school students with Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart problems,” she said. “I never saw conditions like this until the last few years.”
Many of these problems will become life-long health concerns.
“These kids will live with these conditions for the rest of their lives,” she said. “Instead of developing high cholesterol in their 40s or 50s, they have it in their early teens.”
The high frequency of obesity in both the county and the state are an enormous weight on the economy. The estimated cost of caring for obese patients in Michigan was $3.1 billion. An obese person’s medical costs average about $1,429 more than those of a person of average weight. The state government estimates that, if trends continue, obesity-related healthcare will cost $12.5 billion in 2018.
This issue has not gone unnoticed by local health care professionals. In July, the Hillsdale Community Health Center joined a statewide movement called the Healthy Food Hospital Initiative.
The health center’s staff also gives talks about healthy food choices at local school functions and works individually with patients and their families. Another hospital initiative focuses on teaching local families how to cook and eat healthy food on a budget.
The local and state government agencies have also taken notice. Theresa Christner, director of health promotion and education for the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joeseph Community Health Agency, believes education is the key to reversing the obesity trend in Hillsdale County.
“Education is one of the most important things we can do to reduce obesity.”
Christner said that the the Community Health Agency initiatives seek to “unpack the obesity problem” in order to combat it in a variety of ways. One recent program was created to increase the number of women who breastfeed through the first year of their children’s lives.
“Breastfeeding has been shown to have positive effects on pediatric weight: The longer the child is breastfed, the lower the odds are of that child becoming overweight,” said Christner.
Another program, called the “Six Weeks to Wellness,” aims to encourage adults to live healthier, more active lives.
“Six weeks is about the amount of time it takes for people to form new habits,” Christner said. “Through this program, we hope to modify the behavior of the participants and make a long-term impact on their future choices.”
