According to the recent results of the Annual County Health Ranking, certain health problems, such as adult smoking and obesity, are putting Blair County residents at risk.
The report, conducted by researchers from the University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, was released on Tuesday. They looked at factors such as housing, economics, and physical environment to rank the overall health of each of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania.
Blair County ranked 51 out of the 67 counties in the state for overall health, dropping six spots from last year.
“We have higher rates of certain types of cancers, diabetes, and heart disease, and we believe these are associated with our higher rates of smoking and obesity, as well,” Dr. David Burwell, Vice President of clinical quality at UPMC Altoona, said.
He went on to say patients that take preventative measures, such as getting a mammogram or colonoscopy, help reduce their health risks, but a healthy lifestyle starts with a good relationship with their primary care physican.
“I think developing a relationship with your provider and primary care provider is key, and understanding and having open dialogue and communication as far as what are normal symptoms and what are abnormal symptoms,” he said.
Dr. Zane Gates, founder of Empower3 Center for Health, said people inherintly know obesity and smoking are bad for their health, but they need help when trying to get healthy.
“You need support systems to help you overcome the problems that you have that make you obese or the genetics you have that you’re more likely to be obese and to smoke. All these other things need a lot of support that’s got come more from family or friends,” he said.
The UPMC Healthcare System offers programs to help people struggling with smoking and obesity.
“We engage with local groceries stores, as well, and we have a tour with our registered dieticians that take people on a tour to read labels, understand the types of food they consume, so they can improve their health overall,” Dr. Burwell said.
Dr. Gates believed these two health problems in Blair County are due to the lifestyle and eating habits of its residents.
“The overuse of soft drinks, everybody eating quick meals, things of that natural…people not sitting down to eat lunch, not packing their lunch. There’s a lot of behavioral changes that need to happen, and I think it would improve if they could have a relationship with their clinician, and I think it would improve those outcomes,” he said.
Pennsylvania has the 24th highest obesity rate in the country at 31 percent, and according to the new county health ranking, a third of residents in Blair County are obese.