RSS Feed |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
LETTERS Southwest Georgia, with its bountiful fried chicken, fish fries, barbecue, pecan pie and biscuits and gravy, has a well-deserved reputation for hospitality. Unfortunately, our region has opened its doors to an unwelcome guest: cardiovascular disease, the country's leading cause of death for men and women. Last year, Georgia ranked 42nd out of the nation's 50 states in heart-disease related deaths. The 14 counties in Southwest Health District have some of the state's highest rates of cardiovascular disease, including heart disease, hypertension and stroke. That's the bad news. The good news is that our habits determine our health, and we have the power to change. By modifying unhealthy behaviors, we can prevent or slow arterial blockage and reduce the risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Three-quarters of Georgia's adults have at least two risk factors they can improve, and one out of every 13 Georgia residents has five or more. In Southwest Georgia, for example, 68 percent of our residents are overweight, obese or at risk of becoming so. Excess weight tips the scales toward high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes, all of which increase the risk for heart disease. Along with obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and Type II diabetes, other modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease are smoking, lack of physical activity and poor diet. Most heart attacks and strokes result from arterial blockage that begins early in life. That is why it is important for us to start living healthy at a young age. What you do to your body now will have a direct impact on your future. Throughout February, Heart Health Month, you will hear messages from the Live Healthy Georgia campaign - Eat healthy, be active, get checked, be smoke free and be positive. This wellness initiative, launched in 2005, takes into account the fact that Georgia is the fifth fastest growing state in the U.S., and that as our population grows, so does the demand placed on our state's health-related services and institutions. In our corner of the state, the challenge is particularly acute. Most at risk within our population are African Americans, who have higher than average rates of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other debilitating and potentially fatal conditions. During the month of February, I urge everyone to take a moment to think about what they can do in their daily lives to have a positive impact on their health. For some of us, it may be simply to push away from the table instead of taking a second helping. For others, it may be to begin picking parking spots farther away to get the benefit of a few extra steps of exercise each day. Still others may need to reduce or curtail tobacco use or adopt better eating habits. The point is that doing something is better than doing nothing. You won't be alone. The more than 400 employees of the Southwest Public Health District are practicing what we preach. For the second consecutive year, we are promoting our own wellness initiative, Hooked on Health. Last year, our employees collectively lost more than 1,000 pounds. Some of us discovered we had elevated levels of cholesterol or high blood pressure, and we brought them down to normal ranges. Others learned of conditions such as diabetes, and began taking steps to control it. Join us as we as a region work together to improve our overall health. Take the guidelines of Live Healthy Georgia to heart. Be active, get checked, be smoke free, eat healthy and be positive. Allowing a preventable condition like cardiovascular disease to claim lives is nothing short of heartbreaking. Jacqueline H. Grant, MD,
MPH, MPA District Health Director
|
for larger version       |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
