Even a glance at the map of overweight and obese adults will
cause a double-take. A sprawling blue mass washes over South
County, signifying that more of its residents, especially in
Gilroy, are in the worst shape in Santa Clara County.
Even a glance at the map of overweight and obese adults will cause a double-take. A sprawling blue mass washes over South County, signifying that more of its residents, especially in Gilroy, are in the worst shape in Santa Clara County.
In 2009, 56 percent of adults in the county were overweight – a 4 percentage point increase from 10 years ago, according to the 180-page health report released Tuesday by the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. The report is a lengthy look into the county’s wellness, mortality, lifestyle and behavior over the last decade.
Sixty-eight percent of Hispanic adults with incomes less than $20,000 were overweight or obese. The 13 percentage point increase since 2000 was one of the most shocking revelations to come out of the report, as was the increase of uninsured adults from 8 percent in 2000 to 18 percent in 2009.
The facts saddened nutritionist Dr. Marjorie Freedman, an Assistant Professor at San Jose State who worked with the Steps for a Healthier Santa Clara County, a five-year program that focused on preventing chronic diseases and obesity in low-income and mostly minority populations.
“Most health problems, no matter what it is usually, really track with socio-economic status and with education (levels). “Their physical activity certainly is not the lowest though,” Freedman said, referring to the fact that those doing the most physical activity in the county interestingly are Hispanic. It’s because they’re laboring, Freedman said; their physical activity is typically done as part of their livelihood not just for recreation such as cycling or at a gym.
“Clearly we’re not reaching these individuals in South County,” she said.
The Steps program was just a piece of how the county has tried to encourage healthy living, whether through symbolic legislation such as the ban on toys at fast food restaurants in unincorporated areas to opening more food banks in under-served areas.
Some good news was found in the county’s report: Teen pregnancy and teen smoking is down, as is the number of adult smokers. Also, more parents in the county are immunizing their kindergartners.
But, the big, bad news is that obesity continues to plague 56 percent of county residents and while that number is lower than the 63 percent of people in the U.S. who are overweight or obese, it’s an increase of 4 percent since 2000.
On the map, which can be accessed at www.sccphd.org, similar areas riddled with obesity can be found in north San Jose and parts of west San Jose. The healthiest areas in the county are in the highest income areas: Palo Alto, Los Altos, Saratoga and Los Gatos as well as the outlying region of the Coyote Valley area.
Freedman said the number of Hispanics in the county who are overweight or obese (68 percent) has everything to do with access and nothing to do with educating them on what to eat.
As an educator, she is convinced and her study of related literature has shown that people understand fruits and vegetables are healthier than potato chips, for example. But, according to the report’s findings, as household income increased, the frequency of obesity decreased.
“When you look at the cost of healthy foods … healthy foods are generally more expensive. Things like produce costs more than junk food and access to food may be limited,” Freedman said.
If a family has only one vehicle or they rely on public transportation, it might be more convenient and cheaper to walk to a corner store for groceries, and cheaper to buy soft drinks over milk.
The report is both a statistical update on mortality rates, health care access, lifestyle and behavioral risks, injury and violence in the county and also will keep the county up-to-date on the challenges and progress the community is making. It’s broken down by gender, age, ethnicity, income and education, though four cities were further examined including Gilroy.
Also found by the Public Health Department was a jump of the percentage of adults who could not see a doctor because of lack of insurance. That percent has more than doubled from 5 percent in 2000 to 13 percent in 2009. The Hispanic population in the county is especially prone to checking the box labeled uninsured; compared to the county rate of 20 percent more than 40 percent of Hispanics do not have health insurance and about half don’t pay for dental insurance.
The lack of health insurance is a correlation to how many unhealthy adults reside in the county.
“They’re not getting treatment, not getting advice, not getting help. And they’re not getting treatment prior to becoming overweight,” Freedman said.
And despite South County being a hub of agriculture with fruit stands as prevalent as fast food chains, many families are simply not eating healthy and are suffering as a result.
“The increase in obesity rates for both children and adults and the continues decrease in health insurance coverage for our residents should raise alarm bells and serve as a call to action,” said the county Board of Supervisor President Ken Yeager.
View the full report by the Santa Clara County Public Health Department and Community Benefits Coalition at www.sccphd.org.
BY THE NUMBERS
3.6: Percent of births to mothers younger than 18 / 1.7 percent in SCC
19: Percent Gilroyans do not have health insurance / 21 percent in SCC
14: Percent of Gilroyans with type two diabetes / 8 percent in SCC
43: Percent of Gilroyans who reported they were told they had high blood pressure / 26 percent in SCC
66: Percent of overweight or obese adults in Gilroy / 55 percent in SCC, 61 percent in Calif. / 63 percent in U.S.
* Morgan Hill statistics were not part of the county health profile report
