At the BioCrossroads Life Sciences Summit, a panel featuring Dr. Virginia Caine, director and chief medical officer of the Marion County Public Health Department, explored Indiana’s role in addressing the state’s rising diabetes and obesity rates.
Caine and fellow panelists delved into the societal and human impacts of obesity, stressing the far-reaching consequences on communities and individuals. They discussed how obesity affects quality of life, health care costs and social inequality, while calling for a more comprehensive approach that includes education, prevention and access to care to address these challenges at the root.
Dr. David Allison, the Dean for the School of Public Health at the Indiana University School of Medicine, spoke about the scope of obesity and its effects today.
“One of the best things we can do is to be kind and to try to reduce that stigma (of higher BMI),” Allison said. “A lot of that is tied to social class to racial issue, to gender issues, to age issues.”
When stigmas are compounded, Allison explains it can affect a person’s health and their longevity. With bariatric surgery and GLP-1-related drugs, the tools at Indiana’s disposal to reduce diabetes and obesity are significant.
Caine spoke about the communities of color and how obesity and diabetes affect them at a disproportionate rate. According to Caine, at least 54.9% of Black females are obese in the Black community.
“It’s an incredible impact that we’re seeing in certain vulnerable populations when it’s related to certain social determinants … We cannot forget that income and social status plays a major role in this,” Caine said.
Caine went on to explain how socioeconomic status could impact where someone shops, their ability to buy a gym membership and if they feel comfortable walking in their own neighborhood. Caine described how someone who has these issues would go about their day.
“A lot of the times I have to go to the gas station (to buy food),” Caine said. “They serve a lot of processed foods. I sure can’t get any fruits and vegetables there, but my doctor, my health care professional, is trying to chastise me because I’m diabetic and I’m not eating properly.”
As Allison explains, there is certainly a socioeconomic level to obesity, as well as a rural-urban divide, particularly in Indiana.
“There’s probably no population that is more disadvantaged these days in the United States than is the rural population,” Allison said. “The rates of obesity and diabetes are tremendous.”
Dr. Lindsay Weaver, Indiana Health Commissioner, went into detail about this divide and how they have worked to gather data on their rural populations.
“Now, for the first time in the state of Indiana, when you go to our website and you see our obesity rates per county it is based on real, true discharge data where someone has been diagnosed (with obesity) officially,” Weaver said.
Prior to this update, state officials thought the most obese county was Miami County at 40%. According to Weaver, it is not. The most obese county is Vermillion at 51%. Vermillion, a rural Indiana county, faces these statistics due to their lack of available foods and grocery stores.
The solution to these issues? It’s complicated, according to Allison. A multi-faceted approach is necessary for such a complicated issue. The first step is to focus on science.
“With respect to obesity, we need to treat it much more like a serious science and stop making assumptions,” Allison said.
As more tools are available, Caine wants to point out that policies play a big role in obesity levels, such as physical education in schools, which is not a requirement in Indiana.
Education is another big factor, according to Caine. Health educators in pantries with healthier food options is one way, along with Health First Indiana, an investment in prevention to create healthier communities.
“(Our Indiana State policymakers) were incredible in funding Health First Indiana that will allow us … to provide the dollars and resources in order to make a difference,” Caine said.
For more information about BioCrossroads and the Life Sciences Summit, visit biocrossroads.com.
This reporting is made possible by a grant from the Indianapolis African-American Quality of Life Initiative, empowering our community with essential health insights. https://iaaqli.org/
To read more health stories, click here.
Contact Health & Environmental Reporter Hanna Rauworth at 317-762-7854 or follow her on Instagram at @hanna.rauworth.
