Report: Alaskans dogged by chronic diseases and many lack healthy lifestyles or regular screenings

Alaskans have high rates of chronic health conditions that can lead to death,

and they are failing to follow lifestyles that would keep those chronic

conditions at bay, according to a newly released state report.

Two-thirds of Alaska adults are overweight or obese, nearly a third have high

blood pressure and 27% have high cholesterol, according to the state

Department of Health’s annual Alaska Chronic Disease Facts report.

COVID-19 became the third-leading cause of death for Alaskans in 2021,

after cancer and heart disease, and the various chronic conditions that

undermine health threaten to make the disease worse, the report said.

Three out of four Alaska adults have underlying health conditions that

increase the chances of severe or even deadly effects from COVID-19, the

report said. Those conditions include obesity, diabetes, kidney disease, heart

disease and depression.

Lifestyle habits are tied to some of the conditions, the report said.

Among adults, 21% reported no physical activity and 17% smoke cigarettes,

said the report, citing 2021 statistics. Among high school students, 30% were

overweight or obese, fewer than half were in physical education classes,

about half drank at least one sugary beverage a day and, while only 8%

smoked cigarettes, 26% used e-cigarette “vaping” products, according to the

annual summary.

The Alaska Chronic Disease Facts’ summary of health conditions for high

school students is based on statistics from 2019, the latest available.

Alaska’s adult obesity rates are similar to the national rates recorded from

2017 to 2020, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention. The teen overweight and obesity rates are similar the national

averages for youth, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and

Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

While Alaskans are falling short of diet and exercise standards, large numbers

are also failing to get the recommended health screenings that detect or

prevent chronic diseases that can be deadly, the report said.

More than half of adults who had not been previously diagnosed with

diabetes failed to get blood-sugar screenings over a three-year period, the

report said. Among adults aged 50 to 75, 30% had failed to get recommended

screenings for colorectal cancer, the report said.

Among women 40 and older, 39% had failed to get a mammogram in the

prior two years, the report said. Among all adults up to age 64, 11% lacked

any health coverage.

The mammogram statistics paralleled those in a separate report that found

Alaska women ranked second-to-last among states, after Wyoming, in staying

up to date on those breast-cancer screenings. That report examined

mammogram rates for women 50 and over, using 2020 statistics from the

CDC.

To help people make positive lifestyle changes, the Department of Health

launched a “Fresh Start” program last year. The free program can match

participants with coaches, offers instruction and distributed health products

like blood-pressure cuffs.

However, some health problems are connected to poverty or substandard

living conditions that are not easily addressed by changes in individual

behavior, the new Alaska Chronic Disease Facts report noted. Those include

lack of running water and sanitation services in some rural communities,

overcrowded housing and repeated mistreatment of children, the report said.