This Big 12 ranking nothing to be proud of

Nebraska's leading the Big 12, but nobody's cheering.

That's because the competition is for the number of men who are overweight or obese.

Unfortunately, Nebraska's far ahead, with 75.2 percent of its men qualifying as overweight or obese. Iowa is more than 3 percent behind with 71.9 percent, followed by Texas with 71.5, Oklahoma 71.2, Kansas 71.1, Missouri 70.2 and Colorado, 64.6 percent, according to data from the national Behavioral Risk Factor Survey collected by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 2007.

It's not just our pride that's hurt, however. Being overweight or obese are risk factors for high blood pressure, Type II diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, sleep apnea and respiratory problems.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public Health have enlisted Nebraska basketball coach Doc Sadler to create a public service announcement touting the importance of early colon cancer detection for men and women. The program provides free low-cost colon cancer screening for eligible men and women.

Colon cancer screening is a good start, but Southwest Nebraska has plenty of other health issues to be concerned about, according to Karen Ackerman, chairperson of the board of the Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department.

The department is targeting some of the issues in its strategic plan.

Here are the issues:

* 12.2 percent of residents are living in poverty, compared to 10 percent statewide.

* 15.6 percent of district residents say they have no health insurance.

* 11 percent said there had been a time in the last 12 months when they were unable to see a doctor because of the potential cost of services.

* The cancer death rate was 6 percent lower than the Nebraska rate, but 16 percent higher than the state's goal for 2010.

* Death due to stroke was 10 percent higher than the statewide rate.

* The unintentional injury death rate was 50 percent higher than the statewide rate.

* The motor vehicle death rate was 69 percent higher than the Nebraska rate

* There were 342 tobacco-related deaths and 88 alcohol-related deaths recorded in the district in 2000-04.

An average of 19 percent of district women giving birth during the five year period 2000-04 reported smoking cigarettes during this pregnancy, compared to a state average of 14.1 percent.

* 21 percent of adults reported heights and weights that placed them in the obese category.

* The proportion of adults who said they had not participated in any leisure-time physical activity in the previous month was 26.1 percent in the district and 25 percent statewide.

* 19.2 percent are current smokers.

Public and private entities can do a lot to encourage us to adopt a healthy lifestyle, but their powers are limited. In the end, it's up to each of us as individuals to take responsibility for the factors over which we have control.