April 8, 2004

The Michigan Surgeon General’s first-ever health status report will serve as the foundation of the state’s efforts to improve the well-being of the people of Michigan, state officials said today.

The 133-page Healthy Michigan 2010 status report points out that in areas related to healthy lifestyles, such as physical activity, healthy weight, and good nutrition, Michigan has room for improvement.

“This report confirms that we still have work to do, especially in the way our citizens view the importance of nutrition and healthy lifestyles,” said Governor Jennifer M. Granholm. “The Surgeon General’s report will pave the way for our future health initiatives in Michigan and ultimately create a Healthier Michigan.”

Granholm also said addressing important issues contained in the report that affect long-term health will ensure that Michigan’s workforce remains productive and the state remains an attractive place to start new business opportunities.

More than 50 percent of Michigan adults reported participating in physical activity less than the recommended 30 minutes per day. Twenty-five percent said that they participated in no leisure-time physical activity at all. The rate of obesity, especially in Michigan’s children, is of particular concern.

Michigan ranks the third worst among the states for rate of obesity and has been among the ten heaviest states for the past 14 years. Additionally, more than 62 percent of adults in Michigan are considered either overweight or obese, and a majority of high school students and adults indicated that they were trying to lose or maintain weight.

Some key chronic disease points from the report include:

-- Leading causes of death in Michigan have changed over time, moving from those of infectious diseases to deaths due to chronic diseases, such as cancer and heart disease, or diseases associated with aging.

-- Premature causes of death are greatly influenced by health behaviors, lack of social support, and/or chronic stress.

-- Among whites and African Americans of both genders, the leading causes of premature death were predominantly due to chronic illnesses. However, homicide is the second leading cause of premature death and the third leading cause of overall death in African American males.

-- Heart and lung problems were among the four leading causes of preventable hospitalizations among Michigan residents.

“The Healthy Michigan 2010 report is the first of many initiatives that we will use to guide our work as we strive to increase physical activity, reduce obesity, eliminate our dependency on tobacco, promote health, prevent disease, and achieve healthier outcomes for Michigan,” said Dr. Kimberlydawn Wisdom, Michigan’s Surgeon General.

In relationship to tobacco, the report found that:

-- The percentage of youth smoking among high-school students has declined in the past decade, especially from 1999 (34.1%) to 2001 (27.6%).

-- An estimated 24.1% of adults in Michigan smoked in 2002, a slight drop from 2001.

-- About 1,800 Michiganians die annually from exposure to secondhand smoke.

“Despite our collective progress toward combating tobacco use, there are still more than 16,000 tobacco-related deaths in Michigan each year,” Wisdom said. “Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States, and the Governor’s proposal to increase taxes on tobacco will go a long way toward ensuring that many citizens, including 94,000 children, will never become addicted to tobacco.”

Later this month, the Surgeon General will issue the Prescription for a Healthier Michigan, which will offer concrete solutions to addressing issues contained in the report.

“Michigan has a proud history of innovation and leadership in health care,” said Janet Olszewski, Director of the Michigan Department of Community Health. “We will use the results outlined in the Surgeon General’s report to bring back a focus on prevention in health care to help improve Michigan’s economy.”

Olszewski said if the state can reduce the demand for health care, existing resources currently allocated to the treatment of chronic disease could be redirected to other critical areas. “A quality health care infrastructure – focused on healthier lifestyles – will reduce the growth in health care costs and foster a more competitive economy in Michigan. Healthy people create healthy and productive communities.”

The Executive Summary is available by clicking here and the complete copy of the report is available by clicking here.