The Beaufort Gazette: Better health is a goal for residents

Among Gov. Mark Sanford's goals in his State of the State address Wednesday was a better quality of life for all South Carolinians. He urged residents from the mountains to the coast to avoid the "couch potato" syndrome and become active participants in some form of recreation.

Health costs in South Carolina, where residents earn about 77 percent of the national average wage, are among some of the highest in the nation. Yet, South Carolinians lead the nation in many bad health categories.

The governor issued a personal challenge "to every South Carolinian" to become more active. He'll even lead the way with a bicycle ride from the Upstate to the coast over several Saturdays.

The governor's challenge comes on the heels of an attempt last year to limit junk food in schools and doctors, nurses and others to get Americans, not just South Carolinians, to cut back on the granulated sugar, other carbs and fat in their diet.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control publishes an annual report listing the state of health for South Carolinians. Among the chronic problems are:

Diabetes, which isn't just a South Carolina problem, but a national problem. It is a serious, lifelong illness, but one can manage diabetes and lower the risk associated with it.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death among all Americans, not just South Carolinians. In 1999, nearly 10,000 South Carolinians died from heart disease. Heart disease affects African-Americans at much higher rates than whites.

High blood pressure is critical among South Carolinians; 40 percent of African-Americans and 20 percent of Caucasians will die from hypertension-related disease.

Obesity.

By focusing on exercise the governor and other lawmakers may affect the waistline of thousands. During the last legislative year, a senator from the S.C. Piedmont preached that schools send mixed messages to students. On the one hand, students are taught they should eat nutritious foods. On the other hand, they are inundated with a variety of unhealthy foods in vending machines.

Sen. Linda Short's legislation was an attempt to join forces with a Childhood Obesity Prevention Campaign launched by Commercial Alert and endorsed by dozens of organizations and scholars. Their goal was to prevent marketing, distribution and sale of junk food in schools, and to improve the quality of food provided to students.

There is little doubt that U.S. children as a group suffer from obesity. Junk food is a major culprit. Video games and television are contributors. Efforts to get students to exercise more extend back to at least the administration of John F. Kennedy. Exercise was a key ingredient of improving the health of America's youth then, as it is now. Over the last 40 years, fast food and vending machines have proliferated in communities and schools.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 4.3 percent of U.S. boys and 3.6 percent of U.S. girls between the ages of 6 and 11 were overweight in the early 1970s. The number has nearly quadrupled today as 16 percent of boys and 14.5 percent of girls in that age range are considered overweight. Older children also have recorded an increase in weight, the CDC states.

Commercial Alert says junk food purveyors are using public schools as a platform for their marketing campaigns. "In effect, the junk food lobby has latched onto the compulsory school laws as a way to corral a captive audience of impressionable children," Commercial Alert says.

A healthy diet is important for a number of reasons: more energy, cancer prevention, diabetes prevention, prevention of heart attack. The list could go on and on.

Major hurdles exist as leaders try to change social attitudes about junk food and fast food. It'll take decades to make these changes in the face of advertising in every medium that emphasizes the value of "supersize" servings.

In the meantime, the governor has the right idea. If folks are going to eat food that isn't very nutritional, at least get out and exercise. Burn off some of the carbs and fat. Teaching South Carolinians about nutrition and the benefits of exercise is a lifelong challenge. The goal should be to start young and keep up the pace. It'll not only improve the quality but the length of their life.