PREVALENCE RATES OF ADULT OBESITY IN COAL AND NON-COAL PRODUCING APPALACHIAN COUNTIES IN VIRGINIA FROM 2004-2009

Health disparities were recognized in Appalachia in the 1960s yet research is limited on the direct cause(s) particularly for chronic diseases. Over the past few years publications have appeared associating the direct environmental effects of mountain top coal mining with increased prevalence rates of chronic conditions such as heart diseases, cancers, diabetes, birth defects, and obesity. The objective of this descriptive study was to compare the prevalence rates of adult obesity in coal and non-coal producing Appalachian counties in southwest Virginia. In 2008 the top coal producing counties identified by tons of coal produced per year in Virginia were Buchanan (8,101), Wise (8,039), Dickenson (4,893), Russell (1,208), Lee (1,158), and Tazewell (772). In these same top Virginia coal producing counties adult obesity was 6,613 ± 2,419 persons/county/year (mean ± SD) using aggregated data over years 2004-2009. In non-coal producing counties adult obesity was 5,214 ± 2,704 persons/county/year (mean ± SD) in Bland, Carroll, Floyd, Grayson, Scott, Smyth, Washington, and Wythe. There were more obese adults in coal producing counties than in non-coal producing counties (t-test = 2.45, p= 0.02). The correlation between the number of obese people/county/year and coal production (tons/county/year) during 2004-2008 was not significant (r = 0.17, p = 0.38). Other factors to consider as potential factors impacting health disparities are social determinants of health, i.e., poverty rates. For the year 2010 poverty rates were higher for Buchanan (21.8%), Wise (21.1%), Dickenson (19.1%), Russell (17.2%), Lee (21.2%), and Tazewell (16.9%) counties than national (13.5%) and overall Appalachian (15.4%) averages. Additional social determinants of health to consider as agents of change are stable economies, education, access to care, and personal behavior modifications rather than the direct environmental impact of coal production All possible influencing factors should be considered in future interventions to reduce health disparities in Southwest Virginia.

Funding source: “This study was sponsored by the Appalachian Research Initiative for Environmental Science (ARIES). Information about ARIES can be found at http://www.energy.vt.edu/ARIES.”