Question

childhood obesity fact sheet in Georgia

Answer 1

Georgia State Factsheet i

Key Points

Georgia ranked 33rd for protective factors against childhood obesity and 37th for healthy neighborhood environments. iii Obesity among low-income, preschool-aged children rose from 9 percent in 1998 to 15 percent in 2008. Among adults, the prevalence of obesity increased to ≥30 in 77 of 159 counties by 2007. 38 percent of adults in Georgia are overweight and 28 percent are obese. Georgia will spend over 10.8 billion dollars annually by 2018 on health care costs attributable to obesity.

There are many interacting determinants of childhood obesity. Physical activity and media time are important contributors which may have greater impact on certain groups such as young children

POSITIVE BEHAVIORS BY RACE, INCOME, INSURANCE		GA (%)	Nation (%)	Best state(%)
% of children ages 6-17 who are physically active at least 4 days a week
overall		61.3	64.3	72.8	VT
	White non-Hispanic	64.7	69	74.7	NC
by race/ ethnicity	Black non-Hispanic	63.4	61.6	73.1	NV
	Hispanic	37.2	51.8	72.2	MT
by household income	0-99% FPL	61.1	53.8	78.6	MN
	400% +	61.9	70.9	77.6	AL
	None	35.7	54.5	81.1	HI
by insurance status	Public	61.9	60	74.3	AK
	Private	65.5	67.6	75.2	VT
% of children ages 6-17 with 2 hours or less or no daily screen time
overall		75.5	78.1	87.7	VT
	White non-Hispanic	81.7	82.9	96.9	DC
by race/ ethnicity	Black non-Hispanic	65.1	61.6	70.3	NC
	Hispanic	77.8	75.2	93.3	UT
by household income	0-99% FPL	66.6	68.8	82.4	UT
	400% +	84.1	86	92.5	WA
	None	73	72.4	89.3	UT
by insurance status	Public	67.2	70.1	86.1	WY
	Private	80	82.4	90.3	VT

Parent physical activity is a strong predictor of the activity of their children

% OF PARENTS PHYSICALLY ACTIVE, 4 or more days/ week	GA (%)	Nation (%)	Best state(%)
Mother	31.4	32.9	42.9	VT
Father	46.5	44.9	57.6	HI

The community in which a child lives influences their daily access to healthy food and physical activity

LIVING IN HEALTHY NEIGHBORHOOD ENVIRONMENTS		GA (%)	Nation (%)	Best state(%)
% of children living in supportive neighborhoods
overall		82.5	83.2	92.9	UT
	White non-Hispanic	89.7	88.8	94.7	UT
by race/ ethnicity	Black non-Hispanic	75.5	71	85.9	AK
	Hispanic	76.7	76.1	90.6	VT
by household income	0-99% FPL	80.1	70.7	89.2	UT
	400% +	90.3	91.1	98	UT
% of children living in neighborhoods with NO graffiti, dilapidated housing or litter
overall		77	71.4	78	MA
	White non-Hispanic	79.4	75.6	81.9	CT
by race/ ethnicity	Black non-Hispanic	72.1	63	78.3	MA
	Hispanic	77.7	66.5	86.8	AL
by household income	0-99% FPL	68.5	57.4	72.9	CO
	400% +	87.7	83.2	90.5	FL
% of children living in neighborhoods with parks, recreation centers, and sidewalks
overall		50.2	65.1	87.4	UT
	White non-Hispanic	46.1	62.6	95.2	DC
by race/ ethnicity	Black non-Hispanic	59.5	72.4	95.8	RI
	Hispanic	39.9	62.7	82.1	SD
by household income	0-99% FPL	45	57.6	88.2	MA
	400% +	57.8	73.4	92.4	DC

Other factors in the social environment may also protect against obesity

PROTECTIVE FACTORS	GA (%)	Nation (%)	Best state(%)
Positive social skills	94.6	93.6	97.1	MN
Usually or always engages in school	80.4	80.5	86	MA
Involved in at-least one after-school activity	81.1	80.7	90.5	MN
Family eats meals together every day	44.7	45.8	54.2	ID
AGE-ADJUSTED ESTIMATES OF THE PERCENT OF ADULTS WHO ARE OBESE IN GEORGIA
2004	2007		Percent 2 29.6 27.8-29.5 25.5-27.7 S 25.4