By Julie Cunningham
Cardiovascular disease is still the No. 1 killer of men and women in Utah, a report released by the Utah Department of Health states.
An average of 3,800 Utahns die each year from heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure, and a greater number are left debilitated by congestive heart failure, heart attack and coronary artery disease, according to Milestone Report 2002.
Cardiovascular disease is caused by several factors including smoking, obesity and physical inactivity.
Although these risks are widespread throughout the population, the report also states Utahns have slightly lower risk factors than the rest of the United States for cardiovascular disease.
'This is for one reason,' said Joan Ware, director of the cardiovascular health program. 'Smoking - we don''t.'
Utah has the lowest adult smoking rate in the country, Ware said. In 2000, the percentage of Utah smokers over the age of 18 was 13 percent compared to 22 percent of U.S. adults.
'Our predominant religion here in Utah has a very healthy tenet of no smoking, and that has impacted our society significantly,' Ware said.
Along with having a lower percentage of smokers, Utah also has a lower occurrence of overweight or obese adults, though not by much. In 2000, 54 percent of Utah adults were overweight or obese compared to 57 percent of U.S. adults.
These numbers have increased dramatically in the last 10 years, Ware said. The estimated number of overweight or obese Utah adults more than doubled from 388,500 people in 1989 to 801,600 people in 2000, the report states.
Though these percentages are lower than the national average, Ware said, Utahns should still be concerned with the increasing problem of obesity and the role it plays in causing not only cardiovascular disease but other diseases like diabetes.
'We''re taking in a lot more energy than we are putting out,' Ware said. 'That has turned us into not only fatter adults and kids, but we''re also seeing for the first time adult onset diabetes, which usually happens after the age of 40, in 12-year-old children, and that''s all due to the weight problem.'
Ware said Utahns should include physical exercise in their daily routines to decrease their risk of cardiovascular disease.
'Walking is something that everyone can do,' Ware said. 'We have to take control of our health. Any chance I have to be more active, I''m going to take it. And that''s what I hope all Utahns will do.'
Another way Utahns can decrease the risk of heart disease is to eat more fruits and vegetables, said dietitian Rachel Johnson. According to the report, only 21 percent of Utah adults reported eating five servings of fruits and vegetables each day in 2000, which is below the national average by 3 percent.
Johnson said Utahns should concentrate on increasing the good foods in their diet instead of focusing on what to take out, which would be a more positive way of looking at a diet change.
'If they add more fruits and vegetables in their diet, if they add more whole grain foods in their diet, and if they try to take in low fat dairy products, I think it would make a big difference,' Johnson said.
By including exercise and five servings of fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy lifestyle, Utahns can greatly decrease their risks for cardiovascular disease, Ware said.
'It''s been around a long time, and it''s going to still be around,' Ware said. 'But if we can all take responsibility to try and improve what we are doing, we may be able to at least prevent or postpone heart disease.'