Utahns are in denial.
In the first ever Get Healthy Utah Values Study (2017), 1,012 respondents guessed that 45 percent of the state’s residents were overweight or obese. In reality, the figure is over 60 percent.
Survey-takers also mischaracterized their own weight. Only 11 percent considered themselves obese, when roughly 25 percent actually are. Respondents also believed themselves to be healthier than their neighbors Yet only half of Utahns report that they get the recommended amount of physical activity each week. And while a majority of Utahns claim to eat well, most research shows conclusively that they do not. This is striking in light of recent research that shows one-third of dementia cases may be preventable by addressing things like obesity, diabetes and physical inactivity.
No amount of self-deception, however, will change the gravity of the state’s current health crisis. Over the past three decades, the rate of obesity in Utah has skyrocketed, just as it has throughout the United States According to the Utah Department of Health, if current trends hold, Utah’s adult obesity rate will rise from 25 percent today to 46 percent in 2050 – totaling some 1.7 million people just over 30 years from now. This level of obesity will have a catastrophic impact not only on the state’s health, but on its economy. Yet tellingly, when asked about Utah’s top priorities moving forward, respondents ranked obesity dead last.
The news, however, is not all bad.The Get Healthy Utah Values Study suggests changes that could motivate Utahns to modify their behavior and improve their health. For instance, Utahns see time and convenience as the primary barriers to physical activity and better nutrition. In light of these concerns, strategies that prioritize safe places to walk and bike, and that improve access to healthy foods, ought to become a top priority for improving health in Utah.
But perhaps more to the point, the Get Healthy Utah Values Study demonstrates that better health and lower rates of obesity are crucial to helping Utahns successfully pursue their top-ranked priorities. Utah’s millennials and baby boomers, for instance, put a high premium on their own quality of life. Middle-aged Utahns, by contrast, gave their highest rankings to time with family and friends, along with the ability to help provide for loved ones.
When Utahns eat well and are physically active, they are more likely to maintain a proper weight, avoid disease, live longer, and enjoy better physical and mental health – all of which, research suggests, are crucial to improving both individual quality of life and lasting bonds among family and friends. In short, the future happiness of Utahns, as Utahns themselves define it, is tied inextricably to their health.
The Get Healthy Utah Values study was commission by Get Healthy Utah, a non-profit organization working to create a culture of health through encouraging and facilitating active lifestyles and healthy eating, and conducted by Envision Utah and Heart and Mind Strategies. The study not only helps us understand what Utahns believe about their own health, it offers a blueprint for building a culture of active lifestyles and healthy eating. Whether or not individuals, communities, and policy makers in Utah realize it, fostering such a culture will be vital to the state’s future.
Sarah Hodson, MS, is executive director of Get Healthy Utah.