Healthy Lifestyles

Jump to another page... Introduction Leisure Time Physical Activity Healthy Body weight Fruit Consumption Vegetable Consumption Use of Food Labels Smoking Use of Safety Belts Use of Child Safety Seats Health Insurance Coverage Routine Annual Medical Checkups Regular Dental Checkups Health Status Direct Care Physicians to Population Ratio Primary Care Physician to Population Ratio General Practice Dentists to Population Ratio

Positive lifestyle practices can lay a foundation for general health and well-being. Chronic disease also has a significant impact on morbidity, with 25 million Americans reporting impaired daily living due to chronic disease.⁹ There are many lifestyle behaviors that have been shown to reduce the risk for the leading causes of death and illness. Lifestyle choices can be changed, but changes in lifestyle do not come easily, and are often short lived. In addition, it is as important to find ways to maintain changes to healthier behaviors, as well as to support the initial changes toward positive health behaviors.

Among the factors most malleable to illness prevention along with health promotion interventions are those related to lifestyle. Expressions of an unhealthy lifestyle include areas such as poor dietary practices, lack of physical activity, the use of tobacco, and failure to use motor vehicle safety restraints, which are all common contributors to the development and progression of disease and/or disabling conditions. Supporting healthy lifestyles is important. Chronic disease is responsible for 7 out of 10 deaths, or over 1.7 million deaths per year.¹⁰ Financial costs are considerable, with more than $700 billion dollars are being spent on chronic disease per year. In 2002, $68 million was spent on heart conditions, $48 million was spent treating cancer, and $45 million was spent on pulmonary conditions.¹¹ Lifestyle changes can help reduce the burden of chronic disease mortality. More importantly, changes can improve the quality of life both in improving the lives of those already diagnosed with chronic conditions and by reducing the threat of developing the condition in the first place.

Recognition of this fact, coupled with a lack of definitive cures, is encouraging health professionals to change how they think about health. Traditional treatment modalities are giving way to disease management, and encouraging prevention and health promotion. Focusing on modifiable behaviors as a cornerstone of health promotion and disease prevention holds great promise in reducing the incidence and progression of chr9onic illness, sources of disability, and conditions causative of premature death. Health promotion activities tend to be community based and engage a wide array of people with different knowledge bases. There are many efforts in Bexar County to focus attention on lifestyle issues, and to improve the health status of individuals through adopting new patterns in behaviors related to lifestyle.

More recently momentum has grown for health promotion activities that are community based and that engage a wide array of people with different knowledge bases.

Leisure time physical activity

Physical exercise during leisure time is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Regular exercise helps maintain overall health. The Healthy People 2010 goal is that during any

30-day period, 80 percent of the population will report having been physically active. In the period 2004-2005, 73 percent of Texans were physically active up from 68 percent in 2002. Both Harris and Bexar County residents indicate an increase in physical activity in this period.

In Bexar County, 76 percent of residents reported participating in leisure time physical activity during the past 30 days. This is slightly higher than the 73 percent that was reported by all Texans. The residents living in sectors in the south of the county were less active than the state average ranging from 63 to 69 percent who exercise. Seventy-five percent of residents in North Central report being active. Residents of the Northeast

and Northwest sectors were the most active in the county with 83 and 84 percent respectively. Often people think that exercise means vigorous activity like running. It is necessary to inform people that activities like walking 20–30 minutes most days can be beneficial to their health.¹² Walking can be an important component of a health campaign. The Walk San Antonio program supported by the Greater San Antonio YMCA encourages residents to get out and walk. There are a variety volkssport clubs throughout the San Antonio area that sponsor group walking events and select hiking trails in the region based on scenic interest, safety and walkability. The Trinity Trekkers and the Texas Wanderers and the Selma Pathfinders are among the several area clubs that belong to the American Volkssport Association. The San Antonio-Bexar County Walkable Community Program sponsored by the Metropolitan Planning Organization promotes walking and bicycling through education in addition to identifying barriers and infrastructure improvements. Its services include Walkable Community Workshops, Safe Route to School Workshops, Safety Classes, and Bicycle Rodeos.

Healthy body weight

Maintaining a healthy body weight is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. The Healthy People 2010 goal is that 60 percent of the population will be classified as having a healthy body weight. In Bexar County, 29 percent of respondents indicated that they were of a healthy body weight.* This is marginally lower than the 32 percent of Texans and residents of Harris County who reported they were of a healthy body weight. The remarkable statistics is that in a three-year period there has been a drop of an estimated 5 percent of the population who report their body weight to be in the normal range.

The variation across Bexar County in the number of people indicating they are of a healthy body weight may start to help us understand this trend. In the South sector of the county, only 12 percent of respondents provided weight and height measurements that show they have a healthy body weight. The East and West sectors both report 22 percent. The Northeast and Northwest sectors reported 31 and 37 percent at a healthy body weight respectively. In the North Central sector, 44 percent of those surveyed reported that they are of healthy body weight. The socioeconomic and educational differences between the north and south areas of Bexar County may help to explain differences. If lower levels of education are associated with lower knowledge of healthy eating practices, it is reasonable to assume that this would affect the sectors in south Bexar County. Also, lower incomes limit access to quality nutritional products. Poor nutritional practices and inadequate amounts of physical activity result in increased numbers of people who are overweight.