The Marion County Health Department has made 2005 Marion County, Indiana Adult Obesity Needs Assessment Results available on-line at www.mchd.com/AONA_results_2005.htm.

The report is authored by P. Joseph Gibson, Ph.D., MPH;  Terrell W. Zollinger, DrPH; Susan R. Moriarty, M.D.; Hesam Lahsaee, MPH; Robert M. Saywell, Jr., Ph.D., MPH; Carolyn M. Muegge, M.S., MPH; and Virginia A. Caine, M.D.

Executive Summary:
The combination of poor diet and sedentary lifestyles is second only to smoking in causing preventable health problems and deaths in the United States. The consequences go well beyond health, impacting quality of life, productivity, and the general economy. These effects can be avoided through more active lifestyles, combined with good eating habits.

Until this survey was conducted, only a little more than anecdotal information was known about eating and physical activity habits within Marion County.  There were many outcomes indicating unhealthy habits, including: high rates of diabetes and other chronic diseases; high state-level rates of obesity and obesity-related Medicaid expenditures; and county-wide obesity rate estimates that exceed the rest of Indiana.  However, these estimates were based on too few people to adequately assess which groups in Marion County have the greatest problems. There was also little information about the habits, attitudes, and factors contributing to obesity among our 870,000 residents.

Click here to view complete report.