The Charleston Gazette reports that West Virginians' poor health is tied to lower education levels, citing a study that showed correlation between self-reported health levels and their educational attainment. The report indicated that 3 out of 4 adults without a high school education reported they have poor health, while just 1 in 3 with a college degree reported the same.
This reinforces data reported by the New York Times in 2007 showing strong correlation between education levels and propensity for poor health or poor health habits:
There are other factors involved in how healthy we are, to be sure. Rural Americans, including West Virginians, are challenged by a lack of quality healthcare services and providers. There have also been studies that showed correlations between availability and proximity of recreational facilities and citizens' health status. Many West Virginia communities struggle mightily in these areas.
Last week at the Generation West Virginia Conference there was a great deal of discussion around innovation and how it drives growth and prosperity. We also talked about how perceived weaknesses can become opportunities for leadership and breakthrough ideas. The combination of rural poverty, lack of education, recreational opportunities and poor health is certainly a long-standing challenge. Perhaps it's time to take this fight to the next level and become a hot bed of innovation around solving these issues? Surely this is an opportunity for entrepreneurs in our state.
Vision Shared and the Partnership for a Healthy West Virginia, among others, are tackling this issue. But it's been tough to sustain high levels of focus, energy and investment in this area. Innovative, simple legislation such as the push to publish calorie counts in fast food restaurants get more ridicule in our legislature than thoughtful consideration. We must take a serious look at how committed our elected officials and other institutional leaders are to true health and prosperity in our state vs. maintaining the status quo.
Go ahead, sit around and come
Go ahead, sit around and come up with all sorts of "breakthrough" ideas and decide whether or not it's about recreational facilities, poor healthcare, etc., but as long as WVians are overall poorly educated they will continue to shove Little Debbie cakes down their throats, eat tons of beans n cornbread drink gallons of beer and smoke lots of cigarettes.
You aren't going to solve this problem next week, next year or next decade. It will take many years to improve our educational system. It will take politicians who are NOT lackeys for the corporate raiders who have preyed upon WV's resources for over 100 years. It will take a citizenry willing to change and not roll over to vacant promises and a kiss on the cheek from anyone who wants their vote or their land.
When WVians become an educated populous and become willing to be part of the 21st Century, the problems we have today will be mostly solved.
Recreational facilities, healthcare and the like are nothing but bandaids that eventually peel off and reveal the festering would of oppression.
Ask Jay Rockefeller to take you out to Emmens, WV and show you his VISTA project from the 60s.
Bandaids don't work; education does. It's the only thing that no one can take away from you once you get it.
Man, this is sticky. Are they
Man, this is sticky. Are they less healthy because they are more poorly educated? Or vice versa? Or perhaps none: perhaps they are less healthy and less educated because they have low income and are more isolated? There are too many factors here for a simple answer.
I actually think the calorie count bill was a good thing. What got us ridicule was declaring Tudor's gravy-soaked biscuits exempt, thus (theoretically) the Legislature declaring them calorie-free. WE should have gotten ridicule for that one.
We get up in arms when the poor are unhealthy, but.....
Laura's comments reminded me of the incredible inequity in how we treat the rich and the poor, the educated and uneducated. (not that she is doing it, it just rang a bell)
It is true there are no simple answers. It is also true that there are PLENTY of unhealthy behaviors to go around, regardless of technical education level (years in school completed) and income. Sometimes I get the feeling we are supposed to buy our right to destroy our health, and if you are not receiving public assistance you can just do whatever you want to to your state of wellness.
If you think you are not paying for EVERYONE'S health care, think again. Sure, we all on some level can do whatever we want. It's not yet illegal to avoid excercise, smoke, drink, or eat junk food. Regardless, there is a social penalty to be paid by us all and an unacknowledged accountability that we each have.
Society needs to do more to help all of us do better. It's in everyone's best interest!
Thoughts on food
I honestly believe that ignorance of exactly what goes into our bodies when we eat almost any given restaurant food is a huge health issue.
A couple of random thoughts.......
A friend of mine who moved here from New York said recently, "I notice here in Charleston the lines at drive throughs are always really long. There's always a wait. I've never seen that before."
I recently bought something called Pasta Pick Ups for my child. Organic. Thought hooray, this will be really healthy and fun. Tasted it myself and gagged on the sodium. Read the tiny, tiny print label....salt is listed 9 times.
There is nothing ridiculous about fast food nutrition labeling. We deserve it, and we should demand it again next session.
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