Stanislaus tipped the scales as the third-fattest county in California, says a study that charted an increase in obesity and diabetes in the Golden State.
Obesity and diabetes increased nearly 26 percent among adults statewide from 2001 to 2007, according to the report, made public this week by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
The hardest-hit counties were in the San Joaquin Valley, where 34 percent of the population was obese and 9.4 percent had diabetes in 2007, the report said. The slimmest region was the Bay Area, where 18.8 percent of the people were obese and 6.8 percent had diabetes. Statewide, 22.7 percent of the population was obese and 7.5 percent had diabetes.
Imperial County, at 39.6 percent, had the highest prevalence of obesity, followed by Merced County at 34.3 percent and then Stanislaus County, where 32 percent of the adult population was obese.
A person is considered obese when his or her body-mass index is at 30 or greater, based on weight and height. For most people, it correlates with their amount of body fat. Obesity can lead to diabetes.
Despite the high obesity numbers, the research found that 7.7 percent of Stanislaus County's adult population, or an estimated 27,000 people, had diabetes, which was slightly less than the statewide average of 7.8 percent.
In 2001, 24.8 percent of the county's population was obese and 5.8 percent had diabetes, the study said.
"We are concerned about the numbers," said Phoebe Leung, assistant director of the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency. "When you look at the obesity rate nationwide, and in California, it keeps increasing. We really want to work with the community to address chronic disease prevention."
Might have undercounted diabetics
Leung noted that the county's diabetes rate was almost a percentage point higher than the state average when the numbers were adjusted for age factors.
In addition, she said, the study based on health interviews might have undercounted diabetes cases. Some people responding to the surveys would not have known if they had diabetes, unless they had a recent checkup or health screening, she said.
In Merced County, the percentage of people with diabetes grew from 6.1 percent in 2001 to 7.5 percent in 2007. The rate grew from 7 percent to 8.7 percent over the same period in San Joaquin County.
The valley's high rates of obesity and diabetes make it "even more important to try to make changes that will prevent new cases of diabetes from developing and reduce the prevalence of obesity," said Susan Babey, a research scientist at UCLA and an author of the study.
The fight against health problems in the valley has been complicated by the region's high number of poor, she said. Poverty is one of the factors contributing to the higher rates of obesity — the poor are much more likely to be obese and have diabetes than higher-income adults. The poor, for example, have less access to healthy foods and safe, affordable places for recreation, Babey said.
The UCLA study's results are discouraging, but researchers said efforts that have been made to reduce obesity and diabetes need more time to achieve results. As any dieter knows, it takes longer to lose a pound than to gain one, they said.
Rudy M. Ortiz, a professor of physiology and nutrition at the University of California at Merced, has studied obesity among adolescents in the valley and found the rates aren't going down. Still, he's not giving up on obesity-prevention programs.
"You can't just drop a lot of weight in a short period of time," Ortiz said. "There's no quick fix."
Promoting activity, nutrition urged
Leung agreed with the recommendations in the report, calling for state and local governments to promote physical activity and better nutritional habits.
It recommends policies such as making school facilities available for recreation after school and on weekends, improving the quality of park and recreation facilities, limiting the density of fast food outlets, and encouraging supermarkets and farmers markets in low-income neighborhoods.
"These are things we have been focusing on in the past few years," Leung said. "It is a long process, and we have to be involved early in the planning stage. We need to talk with builders and planners about the built environment and how it affects the health of the community."
Leung said conversations have started with cities and the county to put health language in their urban growth plans.
Other efforts include a project to encourage physical activities and healthy eating choices in west Modesto. The five-year project funded by Kaiser Permanente is coming to an end this year, although Kaiser is considering funding the program for a few more years, Leung said.
Kaiser joined with local government and community organizations to target the area because of its high rates of chronic illness, such as diabetes and heart disease. There are plans for a lighted walking trail in west Modesto, but with the state of the economy and local government budgets, officials have not identified funding.
The Fresno Bee contributed to this report.
Bee staff writer Ken Carlson can be reached at kcarlson@modbee.com or 578-2321.
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