Isle adults smoking, Hawaii's adults are binge drinking and smoking less while buckling up more than residents in other states, according to government research that showed mixed results when it comes to healthy habits nationwide.
binge drinking less
Hawaii's obesity level has climbed
but ranks as the nation's lowestBy Janis L. Magin
Associated PressHowever, Hawaii was one of 47 states that recorded an increase in obesity from 1991 to 2000, a nationwide problem according to Dr. David Nelson, who helped conduct the research for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hawaii, along with Colorado, had the lowest obesity rate in the nation at 14.9 percent of the population in 2000, up from 8.4 percent in 1991 in both states. The nationwide median was 19.6 percent in 2000.
Hawaii also showed slightly lower rates of smoking, binge drinking -- defined as downing five or more alcoholic beverages at least once in the past month -- and physical inactivity, according to the study.
"This is good news overall that the rates are going down, but we are very concerned about the increase in obesity in kids and adults," Bruce Anderson, director of the state Department of Health, said yesterday.
The results of the state-by-state surveys of adult health trends in the 1990s appear in today's Journal of the American Medical Association.
The researchers compiled results from monthly state telephone surveys of adults ages 18 and over, collected randomly from 1991 to 2000.
Participants were asked about 11 health behaviors: smoking, drinking, physical inactivity, obesity, seat-belt use, mammograms, Pap tests, colorectal cancer and cholesterol screenings, and flu and pneumococcal vaccines.
Anderson said as many as 50 percent of adults in Hawaii can be classified as overweight, if not obese.
Obesity is a risk factor for a number of health problems, including heart disease and diabetes, and is an economic as well as a lifestyle issue, he said.
The state this year is using 25 percent of the tobacco lawsuit settlement fund -- about $10 million -- to combat obesity, smoking and physical inactivity through the "Healthy Hawaii" initiative, he said.
"We have an opportunity we've never had before in Hawaii to address problems with diet and physical activity," Anderson said.
"That amount of money is unprecedented in the state in terms of the resources, and hopefully will go a long way to helping people change their lifestyles," Anderson said.
The program is running television ads telling people to start living healthy by taking small steps toward exercising, eating healthy or quitting smoking.
"Changes don't occur overnight," Anderson said. "The bottom line is we've had money we've never had before to promote physical activity and nutrition programs, and I think ultimately that will go a long way toward changing the trends in Hawaii."
The study also found that Hawaii was among the majority of states that showed increases in seat-belt use, mammography and adult vaccinations, and was among eight states that showed increases in cervical cancer screening and among 13 states that showed increases in colorectal screening and cholesterol screening.
This week, Hawaii's four county police departments began a monthlong statewide enforcement campaign to increase the percentage of drivers and passengers who wear seat belts.
On the 'Net:
>> JAMA: http://jama.ama-assn.org
>> Hawaii Department of Health: http://www.state.hi.us/health/