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Internet Navigation Project

This project corresponds to health effects of exercise and physical activity and requires you to research a Centers for Disease Control national dataset to collect and interpret relevant physical activity (exposure) and outcome information (disease prevalence, economic cost of disease, morbidity and mortality statistics).

Goal: Understanding the data by using online resources like CDC Behavioral Risk Factor surveillance website to underscore the magnitude of the obesity problem and why physical activity is so important to health. You will be reporting prevalence rates for two topics: Physical Activity and Obesity.

TOPIC ONE: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

1. Search the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) link ( http://www.cdc.gov/brfss/brfssprevalence/index.html ) and look to the "Explore BRFSS data by topic section. In the "Class" area choose: Physical Activity

2. For the topic select: Physical Activity

3. Choose one year at a time. Select the years of your choice. You will report on two different years (the larger the gap between the years the better). In the "question" link  choose: Adults with 30+ minutes of moderate activity five or more days per week (Do not select 20+ minutes question).

4.  For each year report the following below:Then select "no" for the response

1. For each of the two years choose two qualifiers to report on: Gender, Age group, Race/Ethnicity, Education, Household income. These are selected by clicking on the "view by" tab.

5. Then report the crude prevalence for each category (there will be four displayed) shown. Tell the reader the percentages for each category and what states specifically correspond to each category.

TOPIC TWO: BMI CATEGORIES

1. Search the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) link ( http://www.cdc.gov/brfss/brfssprevalence/index.html ) and look to the "Explore BRFSS data by topic section. In the "Class" area choose: Overweight and obesity

2. For the topic select: BMI categories

3. In the "question" link  choose the only question to select - Weight classification of BMI

4. Select the same two years you reported on for physical activity. (Remember, the larger the gap between the years the better). For each year report the following below:Then for the response select "Obese (BMI 30.0 - 99.8)"

1. For each of the two years choose two qualifiers to report on: Gender, Age group, Race/Ethnicity, Education, Household income.

5. Then report the crude prevalence for each category (there will be four displayed) shown. Tell the reader the percentages for each category and what states specifically correspond to each category.

Lastly, tell the reader how how the physical activity data correlate with the obesity/BMI data you found? What do the trend data suggest? How do you interpret these data? What does this mean for public health practitioners? Where should our programs focus in the future?

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Physical Activity (Qualifiers: Gender Female)

1996

70.8 – 77.1%: Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Minnesota, Vermont, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Massachusetts

77.2 – 79.8%: California, Alaska, Arizona, Texas, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Florida, Virginia, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine

79.9 – 83.9%: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, New York, Pennsylvania, District of Columbia

84 – 89.9%: Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Ohio, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Maryland, Delaware, Puerto Rico

2000

72.7 – 75.8%: Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Michigan, Virginia, Vermont, District of Columbia

75.9 – 78.5%: California, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Florida, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania

78.6 – 82.3%: Arizona, Texas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Maryland, New Jersey, New York,

82.4 – 86.7%: Delaware, West Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico

Physical Activity (Qualifiers: Age Group 18 - 24)

1996

65.4 – 70.4%: Washington, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, South Dakota, Minnesota, New Jersey, Vermont, Puerto Rico

70.5 – 75.7%: Idaho, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut

75.8 – 80.2%: California, North Dakota, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Alabama, North Carolina, New York, Delaware

80.3 – 85.9%: Arizona, Nebraska, Arkansas, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland

2000

62.6 – 69.2%: Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Wyoming, North Dakota, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Rhode Island, Connecticut, District of Columbia

69.3 – 73.1%: California, Nevada, Utah, Montana, Colorado, Michigan, Indiana, Arkansas, Alabama, New York, Vermont, , Massachusetts, New Jersey, Delaware

73.2 – 76.9%: Idaho, Arizona, New Mexico, South Dakota, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, West Virginia, Maryland, New Hampshire

77 – 82.9%: Puerto Rico, Nebraska, Kansas, Louisiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina, Maine

BMI (Qualifiers: Gender Female)

1996

10.7 – 14.1%: Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota, Minnesota, Georgia, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Hawaii

14.2 – 17.6%: Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, New Mexico, North Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Florida, Virginia, New York, Maine, Vermont

17.7 – 19.1%: Alaska, Puerto Rico, Texas, Iowa, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland

19.2 -21.4%: Missouri, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, South Carolina, District of Columbia

2000

14.2 – 17.1%: Nevada, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Minnesota, Virginia, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Denver

17.2 – 19.8%: Washington, California, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Vermont

19.9 – 22.1%: Oregon, Alaska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio, Maine, Pennsylvania, Maryland

22.2 – 26.3%: Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, North Carolina, West Virginia, District of Columbia

BMI (Qualifiers: Age Group 18 - 24)

1996

3.7 – 6.8%: Idaho, Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota Mississippi, Indiana, Georgia, New Hampshire, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico

6.9 – 8.1%: Washington, Oregon, Wyoming, New Mexico, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey, Connecticut

8.2 – 10.4%: California, Nevada, Utah, Montana, Texas, Illinois, Florida, New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Delaware

10.5 – 17.4%: Alaska, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Iowa, Missouri, Alabama, South Carolina, Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Maine

2000

3.4 – 9.1%: Montana, Utah, Colorado, Minnesota, South Carolina, Virginia, New York, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Rhode Island, District of Columbia

9.2 – 11.2%: Washington, California, Alaska, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, Texas, Missouri, Florida, Puerto Rico, Massachusetts, Connecticut

11.3 -12.8%: Hawaii, Arizona, New Mexico, North Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Vermont

12.9 – 19.2%: Oregon, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Iowa, Illinois, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Maine

Internet Navigation Project

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) was used to explore the years 1996 and 2000 on how physical activity correlates with body mass index (BMI). In both topics physical activity and BMI, the two qualifiers focused on the female gender and the age group 18 to 24 years old. The physical activity topic focused on adults whose response was no to engaging in thirty minutes or more of moderate activity five or more days per week. The BMI topic focused on weight classification by BMI.

According to the BRFSS in 1996, thirty minutes of any physical activity five or more days per week said the female gender had a higher crude prevalence of 84 to 89.9 percent in the southern states compared to the states in the west coast region that had a lower crude prevalence between 77.8 to 77.1 percent. However, in 2000 there was an increase of states in the central and southern region that had a higher crude prevalence of 78.6 to 82.3 percent. The northwest states remained having a low crude prevalence similar to the year 1996. In 2000 the states that continued in the high crude prevalence similar to the year 1996 were Oklahoma, Louisiana, Iowa, Alabama, Kentucky, and Maine. Concentrating on the age group 18 to 24 year olds on physical activity in 1996, states in the east coast had a higher crude prevalence of 80.3 to 85.9 percent. The states that remained in this higher category in 2000 were Nebraska, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio.

Reviewing the BMI topic with a response of an obese BMI of 30.0 to 99.8 in the female gender in the year 1996 the state in the west coast had either a crude prevalence of 10.7 to 14.1 percent or 12.2 to 17.6 percent. The southern states and some states in the east coast had a high crude prevalence of 17.7 to 19.1 percent or 19.2 to 21.4 percent. However, in 2000 there was a drastic increase of states mainly in the southern area that hit the higher crude prevalence percentage of 22.2 to 26.3. These states included, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, and West Virginia. In 2000, the west coast remained in the lower crude prevalence percentage of 14.2 to 17.1 percent or 17.2 to 19.8 percent.

Comparing the physical activity data and BMI data there is a comparison that show how states that do not stay physically active have a higher BMI. Physical activity in 1996 based on age group did not improve in the central states but increased in 2000. Along the same lines there is significant correlation comparing the physical activity data to the BMI data that focused on age. The BMI data displayed no improvement from 1996 to 2000 but an increase in the central states as well. The south and east coast displayed a higher crude prevalence percentage in physical activity in the age group of 18 to 24 years old and the female gender. This relates to the BMI data that also illustrates the same pattern in the age group of 18 to 24 years old and the female gender. The BMI in 1996 has increased in 2000 mainly in the south and east coast, similarly to the physical activity data where those states have indicated low physical activity.

Due to the increase in obesity in the United States there has been many programs implemented to help this growing epidemic. However, public health practitioners should focus on promoting and educating exercise and physical activity. There are programs already implemented that will help our future generations such as the Let’s Move! campaign, a national initiative launch by First Lady Michelle Obama on February 9, 2010 (Gibi, 2013). The campaign plays an important role to putting children on the path to a healthy future by educating people on the importance of supporting and practicing a healthy lifestyle. The campaign aims to change an environment of a community to ensure families have access to healthy and affordable foods. A campaign that works toward stopping obesity is very important because in the article Vital Signs: Obesity Among Low-Income, Preschool-Ages Children – United States, 2008-2011 mentioned, “overweight or obese preschoolers are five times as likely to become overweight or obese adults, compared with their normal eight peers. In older children and adolescents, obesity is associated with high cholesterol, high blood sugar, asthma and mental health problems” (May et al., 2013, p. 633). The lack of physical activity and poor diet is connected to the increase in BMI and obesity. It is important for health practitioners to encourage a healthy lifestyle by promoting healthy eating and physical activity; the combination reduces an individual’s risk of developing chronic diseases. The BRFSS data displays that the lack of exercise does play a factor with the increase in BMI.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). BRFSS Prevalence & Trends Data. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/brfss/brfssprevalence/index.html

Gibi, K. (2013). Let’s Move! Cities, Towns and Counties. Parks & Recreation, 48 (10), 37-39.

May, A. L., Liping, P., Sherry, B., Blanck, H. M., Galuska, D., Dalenius, K., & Grummer-Strawn, L. M. (2013). Vital Signs: Obesity Among Low-Income, Preschool-Aged Children -- United States, 2008-2011. MMWR: Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report,  62(31), 629-634.