By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News
Eastern Kentucky leads the state in bad health statistics, but when it comes to diet and exercise, residents of the region aren't much different than the rest of Kentucky, but there are some significant differences that could affect health, according to the Kentucky Health Issues Poll.
The poll, taken last fall, found little difference in the region and the state when it comes to being physically active (80 percent), and being able to purchase healthy foods (about 70 percent).
Neither the state nor the region fared well when it came to meeting federal guidelines for eating fruits and vegetables. In Eastern Kentucky, 14 percent met the vegetable guidelines and 22 percent said they ate enough fruit, compared to statewide rates of 12 percent and 25 percent, respectively. The guidelines suggest that half of each plate be made up of vegetables and fruit.
One major difference in the poll was that Eastern Kentucky adults reported that the conditions of their sidewalks and road shoulders and the safety of their neighborhoods for walking or biking is significantly lower than the state as a whole.
Statewide, 51 percent said conditions were good, very good or excellent, but only 35 percent in Eastern Kentucky said so. People in the region also rated their neighborhoods as less safe place to walk, jog or ride a bicycle.
"Kentucky is facing a serious obesity issue, and part of the answer is enacting policies that ensure healthier choices are readily available, easy to find and priced comparably to unhealthy choices," said Ben Chandler, president and CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, which helped fund the poll.
"Some counties in this region have an obesity rate as high as 46 percent," Chandler noted. "Access to fresh, healthy foods at affordable prices, and safe, well-maintained places to exercise can help area residents adopt new habits that will significantly improve their health and reduce health care costs."
Several counties in Eastern Kentucky are working to improve the health of their communities through funding and support from the foundation, it reported.
The Perry County Wellness Coalition is working on childhood obesity through policy and changes in the built environment, including programs that provide farmers' market vouchers to low-income families to purchase healthy foods, put standing desks in local schools, and provided training for teachers to help encourage more physical activity.
The Breathitt Health Planning Council for Children in Breathitt County has purchased refrigerated water filling stations for local school districts to encourage students to switch to drinking water instead of sugar-sweetened beverages.
The Clinton County Healthy Hometown Coalition has developed the Bus Stop Café to provide healthy food to children from low-income families this summer, as well as launching a social marketing campaign focused on healthy physical activity and nutrition habits.
The poll, funded by the foundation and Cincinnati-based Interact for Health, was conducted Sept. 11 through Oct. 19, 2016. It surveyed a random sample of 1,580 adults throughout Kentucky via landlines and cell phones. The statewide poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percent. The Eastern Kentucky data has an error margin of plus or minus 5.4 percent.
The foundation also released reports on Western Kentucky, Northern Kentucky, the Louisville region and the Lexington region.
Kentucky Health News
Eastern Kentucky leads the state in bad health statistics, but when it comes to diet and exercise, residents of the region aren't much different than the rest of Kentucky, but there are some significant differences that could affect health, according to the Kentucky Health Issues Poll.
The poll, taken last fall, found little difference in the region and the state when it comes to being physically active (80 percent), and being able to purchase healthy foods (about 70 percent).
Neither the state nor the region fared well when it came to meeting federal guidelines for eating fruits and vegetables. In Eastern Kentucky, 14 percent met the vegetable guidelines and 22 percent said they ate enough fruit, compared to statewide rates of 12 percent and 25 percent, respectively. The guidelines suggest that half of each plate be made up of vegetables and fruit.
Statewide, 51 percent said conditions were good, very good or excellent, but only 35 percent in Eastern Kentucky said so. People in the region also rated their neighborhoods as less safe place to walk, jog or ride a bicycle.
"Kentucky is facing a serious obesity issue, and part of the answer is enacting policies that ensure healthier choices are readily available, easy to find and priced comparably to unhealthy choices," said Ben Chandler, president and CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, which helped fund the poll.
"Some counties in this region have an obesity rate as high as 46 percent," Chandler noted. "Access to fresh, healthy foods at affordable prices, and safe, well-maintained places to exercise can help area residents adopt new habits that will significantly improve their health and reduce health care costs."
Several counties in Eastern Kentucky are working to improve the health of their communities through funding and support from the foundation, it reported.
The Perry County Wellness Coalition is working on childhood obesity through policy and changes in the built environment, including programs that provide farmers' market vouchers to low-income families to purchase healthy foods, put standing desks in local schools, and provided training for teachers to help encourage more physical activity.
The Breathitt Health Planning Council for Children in Breathitt County has purchased refrigerated water filling stations for local school districts to encourage students to switch to drinking water instead of sugar-sweetened beverages.
The Clinton County Healthy Hometown Coalition has developed the Bus Stop Café to provide healthy food to children from low-income families this summer, as well as launching a social marketing campaign focused on healthy physical activity and nutrition habits.
The poll, funded by the foundation and Cincinnati-based Interact for Health, was conducted Sept. 11 through Oct. 19, 2016. It surveyed a random sample of 1,580 adults throughout Kentucky via landlines and cell phones. The statewide poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percent. The Eastern Kentucky data has an error margin of plus or minus 5.4 percent.
The foundation also released reports on Western Kentucky, Northern Kentucky, the Louisville region and the Lexington region.
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