FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 29, 2003

CONTACT:
Rosalind M. Wilkins, MS, RD, LD, Chief
Bureau of Nutrition Policy and Education
Division of Nutritional Health and Services
573-751-6183

State establishes resource data bank to help Missourians combat obesity

A new resource to assist healthcare professionals and others in combating the growing epidemic of obesity is now on the web. Created by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), the Data Bank offers a multitude of sources of up-to-date information on overweight and obesity in Missouri and the rest of the country.

Missouri ranks ninth in the nation in terms of the incidence of obesity. At least 56 percent of Missouri adults are overweight and another 22 percent are obese. A recent study of school-age children in Missouri determined that 24.5 percent are overweight, up from 19.3 percent in 2000.

Obesity linked to multitude of serious diseases
The seriousness of the health threat is evident since overweight or obesity is linked to poor pregnancy outcomes, asthma, arthritis, hypertension, ovarian cysts, gall bladder disease, heart disease, certain types of cancer, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and psychological disorders such as depression, anorexia and bulimia.

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, each year the consequences of obesity cost the country an estimated $117 billion and they cause at least 300,000 excess deaths. The Missouri Obesity Resource Data Bank can help all Missourians respond to this deadly, and highly preventable, epidemic.

To access the Missouri Obesity Resource Data Bank, go to www.dhss.state.mo.us/MissouriNutrition and click on "Obesity Data Resource Bank" to reveal a number of Missouri resources along with information from other selected sites across the country.

The DHSS Division of Nutritional Health and Services (DNHS) staff nutritionists have combed the web to develop a comprehensive resource for Missouri. Calling on both public and private sources, the DNHS Obesity Data Resource Bank offers links to different nutritional sites, as well as direct access to research data and consumer-oriented information on obesity and overweight.

Data bank divided to accommodate different audiences
For ease of access, the data bank is divided into four areas designed to accommodate different audiences:

• Researchers, Educators and Policymakers
• Healthcare Professionals and Facilities
• Schools
• General Public
  

Within each category, it is broken down further so that a user can go immediately to an area of particular interest. For example, under the General Public section are areas that focus on:

• General Nutrition
  
• Parents Helping Children
  
• For Children
  
• Restaurant Food Composition Guides

Fast food guide expected to be popular
Expected to be particularly popular is the Restaurant Food Composition Guide, which offers a listing of the fat, caloric and nutrient content of more than 30 fast food restaurants. Missourians now have additional information to help them balance their caloric intake.

"We are doing everything we can to see that we have an educated citizenry armed to take action to protect their own health as well as that of the next generation," said Gretchen C. Wartman, DNHS director.

New council to take action against obesity
In addition to the Obesity Resource Data Bank, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has also recently created the new Missouri Council on the Prevention and Management of Overweight and Obesity. This council will work for 18 months to develop a report and action plan to be published in 2004.

"It will require a concerted effort among the medical, business, academic and policymaking sectors to effectively respond to this costly and debilitating disease," said Richard Dunn, director of the department. "I am pleased to see the state's leaders stepping forward."

For more information on the Obesity Resource Data Bank, contact Rosalind M. Wilkins, MS, RD, LD at the DNHS at 573-751-6183.

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