Larry Sobal column: When it comes to health, Wisconsin isn't doing so well

Between local and national elections and the lingering winter season, I'm in a "fireside chat" sort of mood. From my figurative armchair, I will touch on a variety of health-related topics.

Let's start with the Governor's office. Last week, Gov. Jim Doyle issued a statewide Governor's Challenge encouraging Wisconsin residents to get active over the next six weeks. Wisconsin is the first state to partner with the National President's Challenge in this effort. Both offer free, easy to use online participation. Sign up at www.wisconsinchallenge.org or www.presidentschallenge.org.

As long as we are talking about the health status of Wisconsin, the most recent version of America's Health Rankings, an annual assessment of the relative healthiness of our nation based on a comprehensive set of determining factors, is now available from the United Health Foundation. This year's report once again shows that the nation is not significantly improving its overall health and continues to fare poorly compared to many other nations.

The news is not stellar for Wisconsin. Wisconsin ranked as the 12th healthiest state this year, down from 10th a year ago and down from eighth in 1990 when the annual rankings began. Wisconsin's health issues include a high prevalence of binge drinking (50th of 50), obesity (34th), and smoking (28th) compared to other states. None of these reflects well on our state.

Of particular concern is that the prevalence of obesity in Wisconsin has increased from 11.3 percent in 1990 to 26.6 percent today with more than 60 percent of state adults and children considered overweight or obese. Unfortunately, obesity is now challenging smoking as the leading cause of preventable death.

Some positive news from this report shows Wisconsin ranks highly in immunization coverage (second), high school graduation (fourth) and occupational fatalities (fifth). You can find the report at www.unitedhealthfoundation.org.

Another report, released last week from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services), indicated that Wisconsin has lost its No. 1 ranking regarding the quality of its health care. The rankings are derived from more than 30 databases, most sponsored by federal health agencies, and come from a mixture of surveys and hospital-reported data.

The good news is that we only slipped to a No. 2 ranking and have strong performances in our treatment of diabetes and heart disease while also providing excellent prenatal and nursing home care. Information can be found on the www.ahrq.gov site.

On a final note, I want to highlight a local initiative focused on improving our health status. Last year, in collaboration with the YMCA, Activate Fox Cities was selected as a national "Pioneering Healthier Community" effort to raise health issues and develop strategies to promote healthier lifestyles. For the past few months, a diverse group of individuals have been working to identify those strategies and develop sustainable tactics.

To help bring awareness and provide education regarding how to increase activity levels, Mark Fenton, a pedestrian advocate and former Olympic race walker, will present a series of educational events from May 5 to 8 at various local venues. For example, employers will find his talk on "The Bottom Line on Health Care Costs – Six Things You Aren't Doing To Promote Physical Activity But Should Be" as a powerful and compelling message. To learn more about Mark's visit and receive registration material for the different events, send an e-mail to mstellrecht@ymcafoxcities.org.