| Kaiser Family Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation say West
Virginia outranks other states in rates of obesity, heart disease, cancer,
diabetes, tobacco use and poor oral health.
- Nearly 100,000 West Virginians live with diabetes, and about 50,000 have
diabetes and don't even know it.
- Another 600,000 people in the state are at risk of developing diabetes during
their lifetimes.
- Between 600,000 and 1 million West Virginians are at risk of developing
cardiovascular diseases. The state's disease rate is 20 percent higher than
the national average.
- About 64 percent of West Virginians are overweight or obese.
- Nearly 85,000 children and teens also are either overweight or at risk of
becoming obese as adults. If current trends continue, 33 percent of children
born in 2000 will develop diabetes because of their poor diet and low levels of
exercise.
- About 85 percent of West Virginians have some risk factor for stroke, be it
high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, tobacco use or poor
body weight.
- Nearly 100,000 people have asthma, which last year resulted in more than
$12.5 million in hospital costs alone.
Why? "It's partially heredity and education, but I think this is partly because we
are losing our young and educated residents," said Greg Smith of Mountain
State Blue Cross Blue Shield.
"Those in the younger generation are typically better educated about health
and health choices, but they are leaving after they graduate. That leaves us
with one of the oldest populations, which means more of our population is
uneducated about the dangers of smoking and other choices."
Lifestyles is another factor. West Virginians ate the heavy, fried and fatty food,
cooked in fat, lard and heavy greases.
Ancestors worked hard, physical labor that burned lots of the calories. Now
lifestyles are more sedentary.
| 
