Oklahoma is full of fatties, but we all knew that. Now, at least in Oklahoma County, you can rank the chunkiest areas by ZIP code.
An 18-month analysis by epidemiologists with the Oklahoma City-County Health Department concluded that the southwestern part of the county is the heftiest, according to an article from NewsOK.com.
Gary Cox, director for the Oklahoma City-County Health Department, said where you live matters. Some ZIP codes, he said, have diabetes and heart disease rates two to three times that of their healthier neighbors. According to the survey, fatties could save up to $1,200 a year if their got healthier, saving on everything from clothing to medications to meals.
“We knew the health outcome in Oklahoma and Oklahoma County was not good,” Cox said. “It’s steadily decreased from the early 1990s. This is a crisis that we cannot afford to underestimate.”
No kidding ” according to The Oke, the Sooner State (as in “get on over to that buffet table sooner rather than later,” apparently) is ranked a remarkably horrible No. 49 when it comes to health outcomes. To try to turn that frown upside down, a group called Wellness Now, headed by a steering committee lead by Mayor Mick Cornett and County Commissioner Ray Vaughn, will try to tip the scale in favor of health.
We’re just happy the secret Chicken-Fried News lair isn’t in one of the corpulent codes. We’re going to celebrate with some donuts and burgers.
This article appears in Apr 7-13, 2010.