New report shows environmental factors have driven growth in Indiana’s obesity rates and recommends collective action to address the health epidemic.

INDIANAPOLIS (March 13, 2019) — One in three Hoosier adults is obese, and more than two in three are overweight or obese, costing Indiana an estimated $8.5 billion in 2017– most of which is borne by households and the private sector. A report released today by the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation underscores these findings, showing that obesity has increased dramatically in Marion County and Indiana, becoming one of the most significant preventable causes of morbidity and mortality.

報告書によると、インディアナ州では肥満率が1995年の20パーセントから2017年には34パーセントに上昇しており、これは米国で12番目に高い率である。マリオン郡では、成人の39パーセントが肥満であり、2005年の26パーセント、2012年の33パーセントから増加している。マリオン郡の肥満率は米国の大都市の中で11番目に高く、驚くべきことにマリオン郡住民の69パーセントが太りすぎまたは肥満である。

“The rise in obesity is not the result of changes to the gene pool or the failure of individuals. It is a function of changes to the environments that influence healthy behaviors,” said Claire Fiddian-Green, president and CEO of the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation. “We must address this pressing health challenge in order to thrive as a city and state.”

肥満は不健康な食生活と運動不足が原因です。インディアナ州では、成人の 89 パーセントが推奨される量の果物を摂取しておらず、91 パーセントが推奨される量の野菜を摂取していません。インディアナ州の成人の 83 パーセントは、毎週少なくとも 150 分間の中程度の有酸素運動という国のガイドラインを満たすほどの運動をしていません。

こうした食生活や運動不足のパターンは、人々が生活し、働き、学び、遊ぶ環境によって大きく左右されます。多くの場合、収入、雇用、教育、幼少期の経験、ストレス、性別、人種や民族などの要因によってさらに複雑化しており、これらはすべて個人の経験、認識、行動、健康状態に大きく影響する可能性があります。

Obesity increases the risk of serious health consequences, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, asthma, sleep apnea, liver disease, kidney disease, gallbladder disease and certain types of cancer, including thyroid, stomach, colon and others. These conditions often begin to develop in childhood, and children who are obese are more likely to be obese as adults. Individuals who are obese are more likely to face stigmatization, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. And being overweight or obese is one of the most common reasons for young people to be ineligible to serve in the military, with nearly one in four young adults deemed too heavy.

High rates of obesity also translate into high economic costs for Indiana, totaling $8.5 billion in 2017. The private sector bears the majority of these costs, which include $3.9 billion in labor market losses due to increased absenteeism and lower productivity while at work; $2.9 billion in excess healthcare costs; and $1.7 billion in lost economic output resulting from premature mortality.

政策に基づく環境戦略は、肥満対策に大いに役立ちます。医療提供者、雇用主、小中学校、コミュニティ パートナー、政策立案者、支持者向けの実証済みのアプローチには、次のようなものがあります。

To download the full report and see recommended actions for all sectors, please visit rmff.org/insights/reports/.

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リチャード・M・フェアバンクス財団について

The Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation strives to advance the vitality of Indianapolis and the well-being of its people by addressing the city’s most significant challenges and opportunities. The Foundation is focused on three issue-areas: education, tobacco and opioid addiction, and the life-sciences. To advance its work, the Foundation implements a three-pronged approach: strategic grantmaking, evidence-based advocacy, and cross-sector collaborations and convenings. Learn more at RMFF.org.