Our next installment of the 2018 Live Healthy State Health Assessment summaries covers chronic disease and risk factors.  Because this section lists many chronic diseases that affect South Carolina, we will summarize in three sections. In our first section we summarized South Carolina findings on obesity, prediabetes, diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, heart disease, and stroke. Our next section will cover nutrition, physical activity, and cigarette smoking. Check out our previous posts:  overview of the report, South Carolina demographics, leading causes of death and hospitalization, cross-cutting, access to healthcare, and maternal and infant health.

Nutrition

A healthy diet is essential to reducing the risk of chronic diseases and other health conditions, including obesity, malnutrition, iron-deficiency anemia, and some cancers.

• The percent of adults who consumed vegetables less than one time per day was higher in those with an annual household income of less than $15,000 (37.8%) compared to those with an annual household income of $50,000 or higher (16.1%).
• Men (52.3%) in South Carolina had a higher prevalence of not eating fruits than women (42.5%) in 2015.
• The prevalence of adults who consumed vegetables less than one time per day did not statistically change from 2011 to 2015.

Physical Activity

• The rate of adults who met physical activity guidelines for both aerobic and muscle training increased from 18.9% in 2011 to 23.0% in 2016, and surpassed the Healthy People 2020 objective of 20.1%.
• In 2015, 23.6% of South Carolina high school students met the federal physical activity guidelines for aerobic physical activity.
• The prevalence among non-Hispanic White students who met the federal physical activity guidelines for aerobic physical activity was higher than non-Hispanic Black students.

• Adult cigarette smoking decreased from 23.7% in 2011 to 20.6% in 2016 in South Carolina.
• In 2015, 9.6% of high school students (grades 9-12) reported cigarette use on at least one day during the past 30 days.
• The prevalence of adult women (50%) attempting to quit cigarette smoking within the past year was higher than adult men (41.0%).

• In South Carolina in 2015, 22.4% of adults reported being exposed to secondhand smoke while at the workplace.
• The five counties in South Carolina with the highest prevalence of secondhand smoke exposure while a work were: Colleton, Hampton, Bamberg, Clarendon, and Marlboro.
• In 2015, the prevalence of adolescents who reported being exposed to secondhand smoke in homes or vehicles was 40.8%.

In our last section about South Carolina’s chronic diseases and risk factors, we will summarize information about all cancers. For more detailed information about chronic diseases and risk factors that affect our state, visit https://www.livehealthysc.com/uploads/1/2/2/3/122303641/chronic_disease_and_risk_factors_sc_sha.pdf.