Batesville, Ind. — The 2017 Community Health Status Survey says as many as 70 percent of southeastern Indiana residents are overweight. Thirty-three percent of those people are reportedly obese. Numbers in both categories are up from from the last survey taken in 2013.
Officials from the Centers for Disease Control say obesity is associated with reduced quality of life, poorer mental health outcomes, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some types of cancer.
“In our region, nearly 8 in 10 adults with fair or poor health are overweight or obese, while just less than 6 in 10 adults with excellent or very good health are overweight or obese,” says O’dell M. Owens, M.D., M.P.H., President/CEO of Interact for Health. “This illustrates the connection between weight and overall health.”
The 2017 Community Health Status Survey (CHSS) was conducted by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati for Interact for Health. A total of 4,261 randomly selected adults residing in eight Ohio counties, nine Kentucky counties, and five Indiana counties were interviewed by telephone between August 10, 2016, and March 8, 2017. This included 1,906 landline interviews and 2,355 cell phone interviews.
