Bartow, FL  - In 2014, Building a Healthier Polk strategy members conducted interviews with 28 primary care providers, including physicians and ARNPs, to assess providers’ opinions about their practice experiences and perceptions of patients’ challenges with obesity. Their findings validate the need for a multi-faceted approach to create environments in Polk County conducive to healthy living.

“There is an increased need for individuals to make choices leading to a healthier lifestyle,” said Sara Roberts, Executive Director of Polk Vision. “Partners involved in Building a Healthier Polk are positioned to drive momentum and influence long term change directly and by engaging other members of the community.”

This strategy within the initiative is assessing clinical practices in addressing body mass index (BMI). In 2013, a survey was sent to 353 primary care physicians, of which 99 responded (28% response rate).  Of those who responded, 95 (96%) were documenting BMIs on their patients and 86 (87%) were providing counseling, education or referral regarding weight reduction for overweight or obese patients. (Note:  Primary Care was defined as Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Gynecology, and General Practice).

The following are identified needs of providers and opportunities for communities and individuals as a result of the interviews.  

Provider Needs:

• Physician training in methods that result in safe, effective, long-term weight loss
• Availability of educational tools or resources for patient education within office practices 
• Listing of referral resources for nutritional counseling, weight loss programs, exercise, bariatric surgery, and weight reduction specialists
• Effective way of dispersing information to health care providers

 Community Needs:

• Easy access to affordable healthy foods
• Easy access to safe places to exercise
• Physicians to provide ongoing medical care
• Nutritional education for the community to teach people about healthy eating 
• Establishment of a diverse county-wide task force to address health disparities with respect of race/ethnicity, age, gender, income, religious, and cultural differences

Individual Needs:

• Understand the negative impact of obesity on quality of life
• Devote time to meal planning and preparation, and exercise to improve health
• Parents or other care givers should encourage and expect children to be more physically active
• Parents or other care givers need to be open-minded when discussing a child’s weight issues
• Be receptive to recommendations of providers
• Do not expect a quick or easy fix
• Take personal responsibility

Building a Healthier Polk is a group of community partners, brought together by Polk Vision, who are working on a 3-year plan to increase healthy weight rates. The goal of the initiative is to lower the obesity rate in Polk County to less than the state average (from 37.6% to 27.2%).  Obesity is a risk factor for chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, which are major causes of death and preventable hospitals stays for the residents of Polk.