Health data break down Maine counties

PORTLAND – Oxford County has the highest percentage of overweight residents in southern and central Maine, and Androscoggin County has the most smokers.

Those are among the findings of survey results of health indicators for 10 Maine counties.

The report, released Tuesday, breaks down by county the rates of obesity, smoking, inactivity, nutritious eating and other health-related factors. Officials said they hope the findings motivate residents to adopt more healthful lifestyles.

Improving the overall health of Mainers comes down to personal choices, said Dr. Robert McArtor, chief medical officer for MaineHealth, an organization of hospitals and health care providers.

“When you’re talking about public health, it’s not in a new miracle drug or technology, but in changing behavior that contributes to your health,” he said.

The new report, “Community Health Profiles 2000,” is an expansion of an annual statewide health survey the Maine Bureau of Health has conducted since 1987. Findings were based on 4,600 interviews two years ago with residents of Androscoggin, Cumberland, Franklin, Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Oxford, Sagadahoc, Waldo and York counties.

The project was sponsored by the Maine Department of Human Services, MaineHealth and MaineGeneral Health, an affiliate of MaineHealth. The report covered the service area of MaineHealth and its members and affiliates; MaineHealth contributed more than $100,000 to collect and analyze the data and publish the report.

For weight, the report found that 66.2 percent of Oxford County residents are overweight or obese, far above the national average of 56.8 percent. Sagadahoc County had the lowest rate of overweight residents, with 54.3 percent.

For smoking, Androscoggin County had the highest rate with 26.2 percent, while Knox County’s 16.4 percent smoking rate was the lowest. Nationally, 23.2 percent of Americans smoke, the report says.

Androscoggin County also had the highest proportion of sedentary residents, with 79.8 percent reporting no physical activity or less than 30 minutes a day five times a week, according to the report. Franklin County had the lowest rate of inactivity, with 74.1 percent.

Nationally, 78.2 percent of Americans report having a sedentary lifestyle, the report says.

At a press conference Tuesday, officials said unhealthful lifestyle choices are a primary cause of rising health care costs.

For instance, obesity can cause heart disease, stroke, asthma and diabetes, and treatment is costly. One of every $7 spent on health care goes toward treating diabetes, said Dr. Stephen Sears, chief medical officer of MaineGeneral Health.

“The goal ultimately is to decrease health care costs,” Sears said.

Dr. Lani Graham, acting director of the Bureau of Health, said she hopes that organizing the data by county – rather than putting out state or national statistics – compels people to lead more healthful lives.

She said it is particularly important for children because lifestyle patterns are established early in life.

“The point is, the earlier you can intervene, the less likely it is people will wind up in the hospital, which is where the greatest expense occurs,” she said.