The Southeastern United States can’t catch a break. In the 1980’s, they became known as the “Stroke Belt”. In maps generated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the “Stroke Belt” is made quite visible by a markedly higher stroke mortality rate than the rest of the country.
Now that area has the dubious distinction of also being dubbed the “Diabetes Belt” according to the CDC. This broad sweep of geography now boasts an 11% diabetes rate, as compared to 8.5% for the rest of the country.
The reasons for the high stroke and diabetes rates seem fairly obvious; fried food and sedentary lifestyles are the norm in these regions. One possible cause may not be so apparent, however. Humans tend to look at their peers and consider the mean average or appearance of everyone around them to be acceptable. If everyone in your town is heavy and eats lots of fried food, why not go with the flow?
That shines the light on the importance of numbers and education. Lives depend on it. We have a prevalence of disordered eating in this country in all segments of society fed by unrealistic media expectations to be ultra thin. But we may also have a large part of our population that does not realize they are morbidly obese.
Access to correct and current information that is scientifically rooted is vital in all walks of life, in all social stratospheres. People often base decisions and make lifestyle choices based on misinformation and myth. Making the right or wrong choices can and will result in deadly consequences or a healthy and productive lifestyle. Keep your employees and their families at their best with corporate wellness concepts that include a range of lifestyle applications such as programs offered by registered dieticians, group programs that track results, and accurate and informed onsite training.
