Health

CDC: High Rates of Adult Obesity More Than Doubles

5 The CDC is calling for obesity prevention. (Shevry Lassiter/The Washington Informer)

Sarafina Wright WI Contributing Writer

Nineteen states and two territories have at least 35% of residents with adult obesity – more than doubling the number of states with a high obesity prevalence since 2018 – according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The 2021 Adult Obesity Prevalence Maps also highlight the need to address disparities in obesity across states and racial and ethnic populations, through increased access to obesity prevention and treatment, said the agency.

Combined data from 2019–2021 show the number of states and territories with an obesity prevalence of 35 percent or higher varies widely across race and ethnicity:

American Indian or Alaska Native adults: 31 states • Asian adults: 0 states • Black adults: 36 states and the District of Columbia • Hispanic adults: 27 states and Guam • White adults: 10 states

The 19 states and two territories are: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

State-based adult obesity prevalence by race, ethnicity, and location is based on self-reported height and weight data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

“This report illustrates the urgent need for making obesity prevention and treatment accessible to all Americans in every state and every community,” CDC acting principal deputy director Debra Houry said.

“When we provide stigma-free support to adults living with obesity, we can help save lives and reduce severe outcomes of disease.”

Adults with obesity are at increased risk for many other serious health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, severe outcomes from COVID-19, and poor mental health.

Additionally, many people with obesity report being stigmatized because of their weight.

The CDC said these findings highlight the importance of equitable ac-

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cess to prevention and treatment as supporting adults with obesity “will take a sustained, comprehensive effort from all parts of society to reduce disparities and improve the health of our communities.”

The agency added obesity is a disease for which treatment options exist, including proven weight management programs, medications, and bariatric surgery.

However, there is inequitable access to proven obesity treatment in the United States.

“There are key actions and resources that can help slow and ultimately reverse the obesity epidemic,” Karen Hacker, MD, MPH, director of CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion said.

“These include supporting healthy individual lifestyle changes and ensuring that all people have access to healthy foods, evidence-based health care services, obesity treatment programs, and safe places for physical activity.” WI

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Sarafina Wright WI Contributing Writer

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5 Mayor Muriel Bowser delivers remarks during the opening of the Cedar Hill Urgent Care Center in Southeast on Oct. 7. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)

Ward 8 Lands First Urgent Care Center

Bowser Cuts Ribbon for Cedar Hill in Anacostia

Lindiwe Vilakazi WI Staff Member

A celebratory spirit punctuated the day in Ward 8 as government leaders and residents recently recognized the opening of Cedar Hill Urgent Care – the first urgent care facility located in historic Anacostia – also the first to provide such services East of the River.

Mayor Muriel Bowser, joined by Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White and Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Robin McKinney (8A06) conducted a ribbon-cutting ceremony in honor of the Cedar Hill Urgent Care center, which opened on October 10. It’s located on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Southeast.

The full-service Cedar Hill Urgent Care center provides a wide range of health amenities including maternity and prenatal care, x-rays and blood work, asthma complications, colds and flu, minor sprains, falls and broken bones and other unexpected health issues. The facility, which will remain open seven days a week, has been predicted to provide care for an estimated 9,000 residents annually.

“[The] move closer to improving healthcare is not just about building a hospital but a system of healthcare and a healthier community,” Bowser said. “Part of that is opening an urgent care center so residents can get the right care in the right place at the right time. It also means we’re working hard every single day to deliver on having health care closer to [the residents in this community].”

Cedar Hill counts as a facility which falls under the city’s planned investments that will boost economic development and infrastructure that provide more equitable shopping, dining, arts and culture and business experiences for those who live East of the River. Seven staff members have already been hired, five of whom live in the Ward 8 community.

Similar to the dearth of nutritious food choices faced by those in Southeast, health care services, particularly urgent care needs, remain inadequate in both wards 7 and 8 – two of the city’s most economically challenged communities.

Councilmember White said it’s imperative that resources and services for residents match those available in other parts of the District.

“We live in a city where the divide between the haves and the have nots is increasingly getting wider – this is an effort on behalf of the government to close that gap,” White said. “There are a lot of residents [here] who feel undervalued and it’s our responsibility to make sure they know we care. Our residents have long awaited the same access to amenities as the rest of the city and today is the day.”

Bowser and government officials plan to continue to identify a location that would house a second Cedar Hill Urgent Care center in the near future, focusing on placement in Ward 7.

“We will continue to build healthy and strong communities in all eight wards and we know what we have to do to continue to grow in Ward 8,” Bowser said.

WI