Preventative action is needed now to reduce Georgians' risk of disease in the future

Caption

John Simon, a teenager who had a bariatric surgery in 2022, watches as his sister, Haley, opens a refrigerator for food in their apartment in Los Angeles, Monday, March 13, 2023.

Credit: (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A new report from Augusta University shows more and younger people have hypertension, high cholesterol, obesity and diabetes, especially in rural parts of the South.

The annual Healthy Georgia Report report stimulates conversations about public health needs and encourages greater community engagement.

Biplab Datta, with the Institute of Public and Preventive Health at Augusta University, thinks policymakers should focus on how to improve cardio-metabolic conditions, particularly in younger populations, so the state can lower its burden of cardiovascular diseases 10 to 20 years in the future. 

Georgia has the 14th highest rate of obesity in the county, with 37.3% of children considered either overweight or obese, according to data from the National Survey of Children’s Health. Childhood obesity is defined as a BMI at or above the 95th percentile for children and teens of the same age and sex.

People who are currently at metabolic risk need to take preventive measures now, Datta said.

"Let's say, for example, cut our sugar consumption or cut our sodium consumption or do physical exercise on a regular basis," Datta said. "So these are very low-cost interventions."

The report notes differences in prevalence rates of certain conditions across sociodemographic and socioeconomic groups within Georgia. For example, obesity prevalence among Black adults in Georgia was significantly higher than that of their white counterparts, and adults in Georgia without a high school diploma had significantly higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease compared to adults without a high school diploma in the rest of the U.S.

To read the full report, visit Augusta University here.