Pittsburgh’s steady rate of obesity finally drops below ballooning national average (by Bernard Goldstein and Jennifer Geiselhart)

Among the most alarming national public health figures is the increase in obesity. The CDC Behavioral Risk Factor and Surveillance Study (BRFSS) shows a progressive yearly increase in adults who have a body mass index (BMI) classified as obese, from 22.9% of the population in 2003 to 25.1% of the population in 2006.

Obesity is a well accepted cause of adult onset diabetes, so it is no surprise that there is also a progressive increase in adults across the United States who report ever being diagnosed with diabetes - from 6.5% in 2003 to 7.5% in 2006. The American Diabetes Association calculated that in 2007 the annual cost of diabetes nationally was $176 billion, up $42 billion since 2002.

Comparing our region with the 14 other benchmark areas shows a consistently high level of adults who report ever being diagnosed with diabetes – in each of the four years 2003-2006 we have ranked first, second or third. But the relatively good news is that while the national level of adult diabetes is going up, we are progressively decreasing – from 9.7% in 2003 to 8.0% in 2006.

This could be related to our relative standing among benchmark cities in obesity. We ranked fourth, fifth, sixth and eleventh during this same time period, with eleventh being the most recent year. This is not because we are getting thinner. If the numbers are accurate, we had about the same level of obesity in each of these four years. Because the rest of the country has gotten fatter, the Pittsburgh region has reportedly dropped below both the benchmark and national averages for the first time in recent years.

We found a statistically significant association between obesity and diabetes among all comparison areas – in other words the level of obesity within a city predicted the level of diabetes. However, we caution that the data for the individual benchmark areas are not as robust (in the statistical sense) as the national data, so we must be cautious in interpreting the 2006 BRFSS figures.

It will be interesting to see if these trends continue when the 2007 data become available. Overall, these are impressive findings, suggesting that we may have been at least partially successful in getting the public health message across of the importance of eating healthfully and exercising regularly. Perhaps our proximity to local farm markets and the opportunities for outdoor activities are starting to have a positive effect in locally stabilizing what is an otherwise frightening national trend.

Jennifer Geiselhart, JD, MPH
Center for Public Health Practice
Graduate School of Public Health
University of Pittsburgh

Bernard D. Goldstein, MD
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health
Graduate School of Public Health
University of Pittsburgh