Indicator Report - Obesity Among Adults by County, New Mexico 2006-2008
Why Is This Important?
Obesity is associated with an increased risk for a number of chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some cancers (endometrial, colon, kidney, esophageal, and post-menopausal breast cancer.) In both New Mexico and the United States, the percentage of adults who are obese, based on telephone survey data, has more than doubled since 1990. Excess weight also contributes to the development of arthritis, a chronic disease that is the leading cause of disability amongst adults in the nation and the state. An estimated $324 million is spent in New Mexico annually on adult obesity-attributable medical expenditures; of these, $51 million is spent within the Medicare population, and $84 million is spent within the Medicaid population.Obesity Among Adults by County, New Mexico 2006-2008
The counties are shaded according to whether the county rate is lower, higher, or the same as the New Mexico statewide overall rate. A county rate is considered statistically higher than the state overall if the lower limit of the county rate 95% confidence interval was higher than the state rate. A county rate is considered statistically lower than the state overall if the upper limit of the county rate 95% confidence interval was lower than the state rate.
Data Notes
Obese is defined as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) equal to or greater than 30.0 kg/m2. BMI is calculated as: [[weight (in pounds) / [height (in inches)]2] x 703]. BMI is a measure of a person's weight in relationship to height. Obesity refers to excessive body fat. For most adults, BMI is strongly correlated with total body fat, and serves as a good surrogate measure for obesity. U.S. data is presented as median percent across participating States and the District of Columbia (DC). New Mexico value is for 2008. U.S. value is median for 2008. The county-level BRFSS data used for this smoking indicator were weighted to be representative of the New Mexico Health Region populations. Had the data been weighted to be representative of each county population, the results would likely have been different. **Data were not available for some counties due to insufficient numbers of people (fewer than 50) from those counties who were surveyed in the BRFSS. For 2006-2008, De Baca, Guadalupe, Harding, and Hidalgo counties did not meet the DOH small numbers rule. The county-level BRFSS data used for this obesity indicator were weighted to be representative of the New Mexico Health Region populations. Had the data been weighted to be representative of each county population, the results would likely have been different.Data Sources
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, together with New Mexico Department of Health, Injury and Behavioral Epidemiology Bureau.Other Views
Definition
The adult obesity prevalence is reported as the percent of BRFSS respondents whose self-reported height and weight corresponds to a Body Mass Index (BMI) equal to or greater than 30.0.How We Calculated the Rates
| Numerator: | Number of obese adults from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. |
| Denominator: | Number of adults from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. |
Page Content Updated On 01/07/2011,
Published on 06/14/2012
