Are Santa Marians getting skinnier?
The answer appears to be yes—if you’re to believe a Gallup-Healthways obesity survey released in March.
In fact, the survey ranks Santa Maria, when combined with Santa Barbara and Goleta, as one of the “skinniest” metro areas in the country for 2011. At 16.4 percent, the region is the fifth-least obese in the nation, behind only Boulder, Colo.; Bridgeport Conn.; Fort Collins, Colo.; and Barnstable, Mass.
The results are based on phone interviews conducted with more than 350,000 American adults. Participants reported their height and weight, which was used to calculate body mass index (BMI); people with a BMI of more than 30 are considered “obese,” the most extreme category of overweight.
The numbers may look good on paper. But hold off on the celebratory cake and ice cream just yet, local health officials say.
Santa Barbara County Public Health Department spokeswoman Susan Klein-Rothschild was surprised by the results and questioned the accuracy of phone-only polls.
“Obesity is still a huge problem in this county,” Rothschild said. “What’s challenging is finding reliable data.”
While solid numbers on obesity rates are few and far between, the county relies on the California Health Interview Survey conducted by UCLA in 2011, showing that more than half of adults—54 percent—and a third of teens in Santa Barbara County were considered overweight or obese in 2009.
County health officials are particularly concerned with obesity in Latino populations. According to the UCLA survey, 73 percent of Latino adults were considered overweight or obese, compared to 49 percent of Anglos.
Scott McCann, director of health education at the county’s Public Health Department, wasn’t as surprised by the Gallup results, calling the figures “believable” given the general health consciousness of the area. However, combining Santa Maria with the generally more affluent Santa Barbara skews the numbers somewhat, he said, as income levels tie directly to obesity.
The Gallup-Healthways poll showed adult obesity at 3 percent less than what UCLA found countywide in its phone poll, where 19 percent of adults were found to be obese, slightly lower than the state’s 22.7 percent.
“I’m hopeful it is trending in the right direction: down,” McCann said of the Gallup figures. “It’s a couple years later, we’ve heard it’s leveling off, but then there’s probably a little bit of that washout factor by combining Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Santa Maria.”
Among Anglos, McCann said, obesity rates have plateaued, while trends among Latino communities are still being determined. The challenge to health officials is that the cheapest food is generally the least healthy. Latinos, McCann said, generally have higher obesity rates due to less access to healthy foods and more issues of food insecurity. Many families also believe children are healthier when they’re heavier—a perception the agency is trying to change.
Marian Medical Center’s Education Coordinator Sandy Underwood called the Gallup survey “suspicious” and possibly skewed when compared with data on obesity-related diseases in hospital reports. Underwood said phone surveys alone might not reflect low-income residents and Latino populations in the North County.
“Obesity is rampant in the Santa Maria Valley, and we’re trying to provide more nutrition education and exercise programs for our Latino community,” Underwood said. “I don’t think we’re there yet.”
Santa Marians in particular, Underwood said, report low consumption of fruits and vegetables and a high intake of high-calorie foods, sodas, and fast food, due in part to the abundance of fast food restaurants and convenience stores in the city.
“The community is wanting nutrition education and physical activity,” Underwood explained. “They can’t afford to go to the gym. They go to the corner store and don’t always have the background to know what’s the healthiest and most nutritious.”
Georgene Lowe, a coordinator for the Santa Barbara County Education Office Health Linkages program, said the low rates of obese adults in the Gallup poll aren’t reflected in those seen in young children. Screenings of lower-income preschool and kindergarten children by the health linkages program found a combined overweight/obesity rate of 43 percent in 2010-11, and according to Lowe, BMI screenings through the county’s Women Infants and Children (WIC) program showed one-third of children aged 2 to 5 were overweight or obese in 2010.
While the phone surveys may not be as accurate as medical screenings, the Gallup numbers do provide some measure of hope that things are improving, at least among local adults, Lowe said.
With obesity a contributing factor to the leading causes of death in Santa Barbara County—heart disease and stroke—the county’s Public Health Department has begun rolling out its Fitness Promotion and Obesity Prevention Plan, a multi-agency strategy to reduce obesity rates over the next several decades. County health workers are gathering data on eating behaviors, physical activity, and food availability. They’re also conducting focus groups with parents and taking surveys of local health professionals.
“We’re really looking at generations of change here, so this is going to be a long-term effort like tobacco prevention was,” McCann said. “We’re trying to approach it on multiple fronts.”
Through local cooking demonstrations, hundreds of low-income Latino families have been educated in food preparation. Coordinating with Marian Medical Center and other groups, community health workers are being trained through the “Promotoras de Salud” program. The promotoras teach Latino families nutrition and portion size through taste tests, using ingredients families are likely to have at home. The promotoras, according to Lowe, have given health officials the ability to learn about the economic and time challenges Latino families face in cooking healthy meals. The promatoras are also trained to measure BMIs; when they identify children with high BMIs, they invite the kids to one-on one counseling with nutritionists.
In schools, through the “ReThink Your Drink” program, the countywide partnership is teaching students about the dangers of sugary drinks. They’re also promoting healthier vending machines, exercise, and alternatives to candy fundraisers. Marian Medical Center and other agencies are coordinating the Healthy for Life nutrition lecture series, presented bilingually at Fairlawn Elementary School, and the Atkinson and Newlove community centers. The classes teach families label reading, portion size, and eating correct colors of vegetables for disease prevention. Marian is also host to the Smart Eating for Kids and Teens program, featuring nutrition talks for overweight youth and their parents.
“We’re on our way, and 2013 looks bright for us because we’re going to expand our nutrition education,” Underwood said. “We’re going to have more exercise classes for those that cannot afford it.”
As one of the agenda items in the obesity prevention plan, the county is collaborating with the Santa Maria Recreation & Parks Department to promote exercise, holding community walks for low-income families. The agency entered into a joint-use agreement with Allan Hancock College in November, enabling community groups to use the school’s track and athletic facilities for safe outdoor activities.
“We’re really in the awareness stage,” McCann said. “If we address the food end and exercise, we can help.”
Contact Staff Writer Jeremy Thomas is in favor of health. Contact him at jthomas@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Apr 5-12, 2012.