Health report stresses prevention to avoid illness

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A report on the state of Oklahomans' health released Tuesday says the state is the only one in the nation where death rates increased through 2002, driven by smoking, alcohol

Tuesday, April 5th 2005, 8:13 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A report on the state of Oklahomans' health released Tuesday says the state is the only one in the nation where death rates increased through 2002, driven by smoking, alcohol abuse, poor diet and lack of exercise.

The report, the Board of Health's ninth annual State of the State's Health, says Oklahoma ranks 45th in the nation in public health spending and that a higher percentage of Oklahomans live in poverty and have no access to health care than the national average.

If Oklahoma's age-adjusted death rate was the same as the nation's, there would be 3,700 fewer deaths in the state each year, according to the report.

"Thirty-seven-hundred people dying is not just a statistic to me," said Dr. Gordon Deckert, a member and past president of the Board of Health who choked with emotion as he outlined the report's findings.

Entitled Investing in Prevention, the report states that lack of investment in preventive health services is straining the state's economy and that the health care system and business community cannot sustain the rising cost of treating illnesses caused by obesity, tobacco use and other health risks.

"The human costs are just incredible," Deckert said. More than $2 billion is spent each year in Oklahoma from the direct medical costs and lost productivity from health problems associated with smoking, the report states.

Oklahoma is second only to Kentucky in per capita tobacco consumption and is "the chewing tobacco capital of the world," Deckert said. Oklahoma smokers consume 103 packs of cigarettes annually compared to 79 nationally.

Oklahomans who are overweight or obese account for $864 million per year in direct medical expenses. Obesity and lack of exercise cause cardiovascular problems and contribute to diabetes, it says.

Deckert said the appearance of type 2 diabetes among children aged 10-19, rarely seen just 20 years ago, is rapidly increasing in the state.

Oklahoma's teen birth rate has consistently outpaced the national average since 1990, according to the report. In 2002, Oklahoma had the eighth highest teen birth rate in the nation for females aged 15-19.

While the teen birth rate is slowing, it is decreasing at a slower rate than the rest of the nation. Of sexually active teens, 66 percent use condoms nationally but only 33 percent in Oklahoma, Deckert said.

"Mere abstinence programs are not effective," Deckert said.

The report also states that motor vehicle deaths cost Oklahoma's economy almost $900 million in 2002 and that the state absorbs $48 million in societal costs each year by not implementing a universal helmet law for motorcyclists.

The report lists five recommendations to improve Oklahomans' health and the state's economy:

--Include clinical prevention in the training of all health professionals.

--Reimburse health providers for clinical prevention services.

--Give greater priority to public health infrastructure and effective public health measures.

--Give Oklahomans greater incentives for adopting a health lifestyle.

--Businesses and other groups should become more involved in improving Oklahomans' health.