This just in from Fern Estrow--

Dear Colleagues:

The New York State (NYS) Department of is pleased to announce the release of two new reports based on data from the 2011 and 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).

The brief report, “Overweight and Obesityamong New York State Adults,” provides updated statewide prevalence estimates of overweight and obesity in the state. According to the report:

• Nearly one-quarter (23.6%) of adults in New York State (NYS) are obese and another 37% are overweight, an estimated 8.7 million residents;
• After reaching a peak in 2007, the rate of obesity in NYS has declined annually relative to other US States. In 2012 NY ranked 5^th lowest in obesity prevalence among all States and the District of Columbia;
• Despite evidence of progress in reducing adult obesity rates, disparities in obesity rates remain. In NY the rate of obesity is higher among adults who are non-Hispanic black (31.5%), earn an annual household income less than $25,000 (27.9%), have less than a college education (26.0%), or are currently living with a disability (36.6%).

The brief report, “Sugar Sweetened Beveragesamong New York State Adults,” examines sugary drink consumption by New Yorkers, a risk factor for overweight and obesity and other chronic health conditions. According to the report:

• Nearly one in five adults (19.7%) drinks at least one or more soda or other SSB per day;

• Daily consumption of soda or other SSBs is more prevalent among non-Hispanic black adults (29.3%) and those with a household income of less than $25,000 (24.1%) and less prevalent among adults over 65 years of age (12.1%) and those with a college degree (12.0%).

Creating community environments that promote and support healthy food and beverage choices and physical activity is a major goal in the effort to prevent and reduce the burden of chronic disease and a focus of the New York State Department of Health Prevention Agenda 2013-2017. A specific goal established by the Prevention Agenda is to decrease the percentage of adults ages 18 years and older who consume one or more sugary drinks per day by 5% among all adults and by 10% among adults with an annual income of less than $25,000. More information about the Prevention Agenda is available here:http://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/prevention_agenda/2013-2017/ .

Both briefs been approved for public release. Please feel free to use these reports and the data or share the data with your partners or colleagues involved in initiatives to decrease obesity among adults in the state.

Additional BRFSS briefs and other reports on chronic disease indicators are available on the NYSDOH Public Website:

http://www.health.ny.gov/statistics/brfss/

http://www.health.ny.gov/statistics/prevention/injury_prevention/information_for_action/

http://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/obesity/statistics_and_impact/

http://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/tobacco_control/reports_brochures_fact-sheets.htm

Kathy Wales

Program Research Specialist

Bureau of Chronic Disease Evaluation and Research

Division of Chronic Disease Prevention

New York State Department of Health

Albany, NY

518.473.0673

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