Obesity, physical activity, fruit/vegetable consumption, Hispanic ethnicity and border location in Texas

Obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and healthy eating are important determinants of morbidity, mortality, and increased health costs. To provide reliable estimates for the border region, the 2007 Texas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System sampled additional respondents in the international border region – the 32 counties within 100 kilometers along the Texas-Mexico border. We compared BMI, physical activity and fruit/vegetable consumption for the border vs. non-border counties. Preliminary data indicates that the prevalence of obesity in border counties was 31.6% (95% CI 29.4, 33.9) vs. 27.1% (95% CI 25.9, 28.4) in non-border counties. Among Hispanics, obesity prevalence was higher in border (34.9%) vs. non-border (30.0%) counties, but not for non-Hispanic whites (24.2% vs. 25.6%). The prevalence of no physical activity in border counties was 17.1% (95% CI 15.5, 18.9) vs. 13.0% (95% CI 12.1, 14.0) in non-border counties. This was significantly higher in border vs. non-border counties for both Hispanics (17.1% vs.13.1%) and non-Hispanic whites (17.7% vs. 11.5%). In the border counties, inadequate fruit/vegetable consumption was significantly more prevalent (76.9%) than in non-border counties (74.3%). Obesity, a leading cause of adverse health outcomes, is significantly higher in the border region overall. Lack of physical activity is significantly higher in the border region for both Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites. Interventions to prevent and manage obesity by increasing healthy eating and physical activity should be implemented across the state with a special emphasis on the border region.