Arkansas is ranked 43rd among the 50 states in terms of the health of its residents. Washington State is 10th. I can totally see that. Here, in the natural state, the majority of people do not seem to go outdoors except to hunt things. OK, OK, that is a gross exaggeration, I am sure. But it is true that on all of the hikes Benjamin and I have gone on so far in this state, we have never encountered more than a handful of people, not even on the overnight hike. That is almost unheard of on many hikes in Washington. And I am sure the legacy of Southern cooking doesn't help either. Hush puppies, biscuits in gravy, sweet tea, fried catfish...I am making myself hungry. There is a surprising (to me anyway) abundance of locally grown food in Arkansas, but it seems that not enough people have access to it, or know about it. When Wal-Mart is the best grocery store in town, something is wrong with your food culture.
Anyway, what I am trying to say is that I don't exactly see why Arkansas can't move up the ladder a bit more: there are lots of places to get outdoors and exercise, and there are lots of opportunities for good, healthy food. Here in Little Rock there is a good medical school, so we should have enough doctors and nurses. More money for preventative measures (and people willing to be given those measures instead of seeing them as an imposition on their "freedom") would help. But, it takes some effort and will to change a culture, and one lone liberal voice blogging in the wilderness isn't going to cut it.
Addendum: Texas is 46th! Huh. Well, I guess we have a smaller population here in AR, so less infectious disease? Check out the survey for yourself at America's Health Rankings 2008.
3 comments:
Where does Colorado rank? Just curious what study you are looking at? As for Wal-Mart... don't Wally World and big butts go hand-in-hand (so to speak)?
I was going from the info in two local newspapers, but the originator was the America's Health Ranking report, put out by a trio of health related surveyors:
http://www.americashealthrankings.org/2008/index.html
You can check individual state profiles, or see the whole list.
And yes, Crap-mart = big butts. On the profile, one factor was ARs high obesity rate - 29%. That sees low to me...just sayin...
That's really interesting, and you do have to wonder.
Have you seen the Pixar animation Wall-E yet? Your comment about Walmart being the best grocery store in town reminds me of the BuyNLarge in Wall-E and how it impacts the local culture.
- Robyn
Post a Comment