(Columbia) May 6, 2005 - This past week, Mark and I officially kicked off the 2005 “Healthy South Carolina Challenge,” part of our family’s effort to encourage citizens of our state to make healthier choices in their day-to-day lives. Complementing the “Family Fitness Challenge,” which is focused on healthier decision-making at the family level, the “Healthy South Carolina Challenge” is an outcome-based effort geared around friendly competition between counties and community organizations. By recognizing and rewarding the county and community groups that show the most improvement in reducing obesity, increasing physical activity and lowering the number of smokers, it is our hope that both lives and health care dollars can be saved in South Carolina.

Currently, the prognosis for our state is not good.

According to the United Health Foundation, South Carolina currently ranks 47th nationwide in the overall health of our citizens while ranking 11th in public health spending per capita. Clearly, there is tremendous room for improvement in how we address this issue considering that health care costs consume approximately 34 percent of the state budget yet results lag so far behind. In addition to health care restructuring to improve efficiency of services and medical malpractice reforms to help reduce premiums for health care providers, more is needed. An increased focus on disease prevention and greater personal responsibility on the part of all South Carolinians is essential in helping our state address its health care challenge.

Many of our wounds are self inflicted. And while health care restructuring and other reforms could free up millions of additional dollars for prevention and early treatment, changing the many lifestyle choices South Carolinians make that contribute to our state’s poor health is just as important.

That’s where our “Healthy South Carolina Challenge” and “Family Fitness Challenge” come in.

Our state has the 9th highest rate of smoking in the nation, the 12th highest rate of adults who engage in no physical activity and 75% of South Carolinians don't eat the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables. Not surprisingly, we have well-above-average rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and many cancers. And, while health disparities exist nationally, the numbers are particularly devastating among South Carolina’s black citizens. African-American males in South Carolina, for example, have the highest rate of prostate cancer in the world and African-American females in the Upstate are 62% likelier to die of breast cancer than white women.

In order to substantially reduce these disparities and significantly improve the overall health of our citizens, we must shift our focus from treatment of disease to incorporate primary and secondary prevention.

Early detection is one form of prevention, often called secondary prevention. The first step is knowing our family history – what have family members died of, and are we susceptible to those same illnesses? The next step is knowing our own risks for disease and which diseases should we be screened for at different ages. Another form of prevention is disease management, which often prevents further costly treatments or additional complications. An increased focus on disease management and prevention through early detection and healthy lifestyle choices can significantly reduce follow-on disease, related complications and costs.

While prevention in the form of early detection and disease management can dramatically reduce mortality, save money and improve lives – it doesn't actually prevent disease from occurring. The common chronic diseases afflicting so many South Carolinians – heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some cancers – are often referred to as “multi-causal,” resulting from environmental factors, diet, lifestyle choices and genetics. Thus, eating well, being physically active on a regular basis and not smoking combine to help to reduce one’s chances of getting a chronic disease. While prevention in this form can save lives and reduce costs, healthy behaviors depend on personal responsibility, not government legislation.

The challenge for our state is how to influence behavior so that we take charge of our health, reducing illnesses and the associated long-term costs. In addition to applying outcome-based principles to what we fund – specifically the prevention grants Mark is requesting in the budget – we need to apply outcome-based incentives in getting South Carolinians more active. That’s what the “Healthy South Carolina Challenge” is all about.

Every resident of the winning county (that’s right, every resident) will be invited to join Mark and I and Sen. Lindsey Graham at the Governor’s Mansion for an open house next spring. Also invited will be the non-profit organization, local government, state agency, faith-based organization and educational institution with the best improvement in health outcomes. We will send weekly nutrition, physical activity, and smoking cessation tips to the media and to those who sign up on our website at http://www.healthysc.gov/. We will also highlight a different chronic disease each month to help educate and encourage participants. Finally, we will have a special award for the media organization that does the most to promote health and wellness in its community. Involvement of individuals, communities and the media are tantamount to our success. We hope you'll join our “Healthy South Carolina Challenge” and help individuals in your county and community groups win the ultimate outcome – a longer, healthier life.

Mrs. Sanford is First Lady of South Carolina
Posted 7:44pm by BrettWitt