California might have a national reputation as a healthy state, with lower rates of tobacco use, lean sun-tanned bodies on the beach, vibrant retirement communities and bowling leagues for people over age 100.
But, Californians are following the same trend as the rest of the nation with increased weight gain and diabetes cases, according to a report from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. In fact nearly six in 10 adults and nearly three in 10 adolescents in the Golden State are overweight or obese. And nearly 8 in 100 adults have diabetes.
The prevalence of obesity among adults increased 19.3% between 2001 and 2007, or from 6.2% to 22.7%, the UCLA researchers say. That translates to six million obese California adults and another 9.3 million are overweight. For adolescents, 13% or 465,000 are obese and another 14%, or 505,000 are overweight.
The burden of diabetes has also grown, from 1.5 million in 2001 to 2 million people in 2007, or from 6.7% of the population to 7.8%. "This is an overall increase of 21% over just six years," the report says.
There is bad news on the cost side for these conditions as well. In California, the cost of diabetes is about $24 billion, with $17 billion spent on direct medical care and $7 billion on indirect costs. The price tag for obesity for families, employers, the healthcare industry and the government "is equally steep: $21 billion," the report says.
What may make the problem even more severe is that like other states, these conditions tend to be more common among Latinos and African Americans and American Indians compared with whites, a disparity range that increases as these ethnic populations get older.
"For example, Latinos, African Americans and American Indians experience much larger increases in diabetes with age compared to whites. Among adults ages 50-64, approximately 20% of Latinos, African Americans and American Indians have diabetes, nearly double the prevalence among whites."
And for adults age 65 and older, 40% of American Indians, 28% of Latinos and African Americans have diabetes compared to just 14% of whites. Among foreign born, "adults who have lived in the U.S. 15 years or more have significantly higher obesity rates than those who have lived here less than 10 years," the report says.
The report also gives a county-by-county listing for overweight and obesity, showing that the problem of obesity and the problem of diabetes are both the worst in the San Joaquin Valley.
The report suggests that while environmental and genetic factors influence the increased rates of obesity and diabetes, prevention efforts are possible, including promotion of areas and opportunities for physical activity and better food environments in low-income neighbors.