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State of State's Health Unimproved, Oklahoma Officials Say

Posted on: Monday, 20 February 2006, 21:00 CST

By Marie Price

The good news is that the general state of Oklahoma's health has not worsened appreciably over the past 10 years. The bad news is that it hasn't improved, either.

That was the verdict announced Friday when officials unveiled the 10th annual State of the State's Health Report: A Strong and Healthy Oklahoma.

The state of health in Oklahoma is not where we want it to be, Gov. Brad Henry said.

Oklahomans have made some progress, he said, but still tend to rank high in obesity, tobacco use and associated diseases.

Oklahoma is turning the corner, Henry said. Working together, we can meet these challenges.

Dr. Gordon Deckert, policy committee chairman of the state Board of Health, said Oklahoma's health status followed the nation's in the 1980s, then worsened in the 1990s. However, he said its age- adjusted death rates have flattened out.

If Oklahoma's death rate tracked with the nation's, Deckert said, 3,800 fewer residents would die every year.

Henry pointed out that since the state passed a cigarette tax hike to fund health programs in November 2004, experts say about 30,000 people have kicked the habit.

That bodes well for the future of Oklahoma's health, he said.

Henry also noted that as of March 1, all Oklahoma restaurants must either be smoke-free or offer customers a separately ventilated area for smoking.

It's one of the most stringent laws of its kind in the nation, he said.

Henry also cited a new law requiring healthier snacks in schools, a proposed diabetes research center and a new small-employer health insurance program as other steps Oklahoma has taken to improve its health.

Deckert said the aging of Oklahoma's population and higher poverty rates add to reasons for the state's poor health status, as does the fact that 16 percent of children nationally are overweight by the age of 18.

We are heading for an absolute disaster, he said of the latter statistic.

Deckert also pointed to the doubling of Oklahoma's Hispanic population over the decade.

The report notes that African-Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans are disproportionately burdened with certain heart conditions.

Deckert said Oklahoma's teen birth rate continues to exceed that of the nation. He said that nationally 63 percent of sexually active teens regularly use condoms, compared with 33 percent in Oklahoma.

According to the report, heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in Oklahoma, followed by cancer and stroke.

The data also show that, with 26.1 percent of adults smoking, Oklahoma ranks third among all states.

However, Deckert said that if chewing tobacco is added to the mix, Oklahoma ranks first.

State health Secretary Terry Cline said most poor health outcomes result from personal choices, such as poor nutrition or lack of exercise. However, he said it takes time to change ingrained habits.

Cline said the state must promote and support programs such as a pilot effort at the Department of Human Services that cut health claims by 31 percent in a single year.

We will never, ever get ahead of the curve until we start to produce healthier Oklahomans, he said.

Dr. Michael Crutcher, state health commissioner, said Oklahoma leads the nation in heart disease and ranks high in strokes, cancer and chronic lung disease.

Crutcher said key common denominators are smoking, bad nutrition and sedentary lifestyles.

Source: Journal Record - Oklahoma City

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