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Is it poverty, lack of education, coal, pollution of other sorts, or..? I have argued this w/ many here in AZ, as they say WV is THE worst in the US cardiovascular health-wise. I know it is ranked bad in cardio health but what do longtime WV folks think are the REAL reason/reasons? This should be a lively, fun thread.
The worst answers are; all of the above -- as it blankets them all -- yet does not zone in on the real reason/reasons & thus, is meaningless. There must be ONE single reason that leads or stands out from the rest that contributes to these bad stats.
Is it poverty, lack of education, coal, pollution of other sorts, or..? I have argued this w/ many here in AZ, as they say WV is THE worst in the US cardiovascular health-wise. I know it is ranked bad in cardio health but what do longtime WV folks think are the REAL reason/reasons? This should be a lively, fun thread.
The worst answers are; all of the above -- as it blankets them all -- yet does not zone in on the real reason/reasons & thus, is meaningless. There must be ONE single reason that leads or stands out from the rest that contributes to these bad stats.
Rankings like this are usually overly generalized, often based on stereotypes, and to broad based to have any real significance. It is impossible to paint West Virginia with the same broad brush. There are major differences in the level of community health from one part of the state to another. A lot of it is based on the age of residents, their personal habits, and their income levels.
Is it poverty, lack of education, coal, pollution of other sorts, or..? I have argued this w/ many here in AZ, as they say WV is THE worst in the US cardiovascular health-wise. I know it is ranked bad in cardio health but what do longtime WV folks think are the REAL reason/reasons? This should be a lively, fun thread.
The worst answers are; all of the above -- as it blankets them all -- yet does not zone in on the real reason/reasons & thus, is meaningless. There must be ONE single reason that leads or stands out from the rest that contributes to these bad stats.
This is a common problem for young doctors in my experience; they seem to think they need ONE diagnosis to explain a collage of symptoms without realizing there is rarely just one thing with someone. if you must label just one thing wrong then it will be the CHD - chronic heart disease problem in West Virginia. That, however is made up of lifestyle, diet, genetics. West Virginians do not get much exercise, which is odd because West Virginia is a nature-lover's paradise. But, I think the underlying theme is that West Virginia has very high diabetic rates and that is a big issue for CHD.
Interestingly, CAMC is a noted national heart and cancer center. So the problem is well known to the medical practitioners in West Virginia.
Diet, diet, diet. And relying on the current healthcare system, ie., medical doctors, that are taught very little if nothing about nutrition and health in medical school and everything about prescription drugs to treat (not cure) symptoms.
Diet, diet, diet. And relying on the current healthcare system, ie., medical doctors, that are taught very little if nothing about nutrition and health in medical school and everything about prescription drugs to treat (not cure) symptoms.
You have me in your corner on the health care system.
Disclaimer:
I really do not wish this to be a political debate, but sometimes issues come up that are more than political and I would like this to stay non-political.
Obama care had the stated goal of extending health care to everyone but in the execution of it, far more people did not get any health care they did not have before ACA implementation. Everyone that qualified and MANY in West Virginia did, were placed on the Medicaid roll. Sounds good, but that is where it ended. Every single medical practice in the state immediately set quota's on the number of Medicaid patients they would allow and they se that limit based on who they had when the ACA was implemented - meaning no one that was added to the roll through the ACA - had any access to non-emergency health care unless they went to a clinic that offered band aid service and little else.
Actual health care in West Virginia tanked for some 25% of its residents who on paper had health care but had zero in the reality. West Virginia then had a glut of enrollees onto the DHHR and Unemployment legers. Both programs require their participants to be sedentary to remain qualified for active coverage. It is well-known that a sedentary lifestyle is a prime cause of obesity which leads into diabetes and heart disease.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions and the ACA (Medicaid), DHHR (Food stamps) and long term unemployment benefits (pay to do nothing) are the materials with which the state paved that road.
The state then termed these programs as entitlements, which has evolved over time into a lifestyle choice for many. The worst is yet to come for the health of West Virginians and the cure is going to be as painful as heroin withdrawal in getting those most affected off of these programs.
Many West Virginians are not affected or counted in these health care numbers from the OP because they did not exist on these programs, but if you peruse any state-provided databases on the subject, one can see where these rates come from - the poor, the least educated and those that think living this way is a valid choice.
TY all so far for the replies. I think that WV in general, like all of Appalachia is surrounded by low quality food choices & lack of access to available high quality foods. Also, lack of education & lack of exercise contributes as well. Therefore, rates of diabetes & heart probs soar.
Cancer affects many for the same reasons as heart issues do in WV, but also coal, polluted water & air really take a toll. It is just ahead (in terms of sickness) of KY or MS or even TN & AL's health probs -- but not by much as they all too are a health disaster in waiting. The stroke belt, etc. combined w/ poor diet make WV place a low ranking on any health factors scale for the majority of the gen pop.
TY all so far for the replies. I think that WV in general, like all of Appalachia is surrounded by low quality food choices & lack of access to available high quality foods. Also, lack of education & lack of exercise contributes as well. Therefore, rates of diabetes & heart probs soar.
Cancer affects many for the same reasons as heart issues do in WV, but also coal, polluted water & air really take a toll. It is just ahead (in terms of sickness) of KY or MS or even TN & AL's health probs -- but not by much as they all too are a health disaster in waiting. The stroke belt, etc. combined w/ poor diet make WV place a low ranking on any health factors scale for the majority of the gen pop.
You make an excellent point on environment in West Virginia as a contributing factor in health, but you might want to be more detailed in that category. Everyone born in West Virginia before - lets say 1980, will have some measurable issue with environmental concerns, provided they have lived in West Virginia for the entire lives. However, West Virginia of today is not the same as it was before 1980 when one ponders the environment. Tremendous strides have been made in soil, air an water quality. Some of the improvement can also be attributed to the reduction of the chemical and coal industries state-wide.
It is safe to say, West Virginia's environment is cleaner now than at any time in past after it became industrialized - assume before 1880.
TY all so far for the replies. I think that WV in general, like all of Appalachia is surrounded by low quality food choices & lack of access to available high quality foods. Also, lack of education & lack of exercise contributes as well. Therefore, rates of diabetes & heart probs soar.
Cancer affects many for the same reasons as heart issues do in WV, but also coal, polluted water & air really take a toll. It is just ahead (in terms of sickness) of KY or MS or even TN & AL's health probs -- but not by much as they all too are a health disaster in waiting. The stroke belt, etc. combined w/ poor diet make WV place a low ranking on any health factors scale for the majority of the gen pop.
Another large-scale health factor is that WV ranks #1 or #2 in terms of percentage of residents that smoke cigarettes, nearly 30%.
Again, you're painting the state with the same broad brush. You simply can not do that with any sort of accuracy. There are several distinct areas of the state, and each has very different characteristics. The things you are mentioning might fit in a couple areas, but not at all in others. The people who conduct these "surveys" have about as much accuracy as those who predict the political races. Some parts of the state have excellent healthcare, a comparatively active and youthful population, and relative prosperity while others clearly do not.
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