Rachel Davis has long struggled with weight issues.
But after the death of her mother-in-law and her grandmother this summer, the 40-year-old, stay-at-home mom and her husband, Rick, decided it was time to make some changes. “For both of us, it was a wake-up call,” she said. Both had developed bad eating habits and needed to lose weight.
“I realized I needed to do something about my health so I can be here for my kids and take better care of them,” she said. The family belongs to the YMCA of Vigo County, and she and her husband enrolled in the TOO program, which stands for Taking On Obesity, a weight-loss support group.
So far, Davis has lost 40 pounds and she has her eyes set on losing about 90 more pounds to get her down to 170.
She exercises about three times a week and keeps track of what she eats, with assistance from TOO. She feels better, takes better care of herself and is more confident.
And, she’s a better role model for her kids, including three daughters ages 9, 6 and 3, she said. She has a son who will soon turn 14.
Davis wants not only a long life, but quality of life. “I’m 40. I’ve been obese, tired, low energy and not feeling great about myself. I don’t want to spend the next 40 years like that,” she said.
Those concerned with good health and quality of life are hoping more Terre Haute residents make similar changes, and with good reason.
The Terre Haute metropolitan area has the shortest life expectancy in the state, at 76.3 years, according to a recent article in a financial news website. The state average is 77.7 years, so Hauteans are short-changed about 1.4 years of life.
Meanwhile, the Bloomington metro area has the longest life expectancy, at 79.7 years, according to the article in 24/7 Wall St., published by an online financial news and opinion company.
Not a surprise
Terre Haute’s poor ranking “is not a surprise,” said Christina Keller, health educator with the Vigo County Health Department. She hopes the ranking, while undesirable, encourages people to make changes and join the many efforts underway to help improve the community.
Nationwide, those communities ranked at the bottom tend to have things in common: higher poverty, obesity and smoking rates and more physical inactivity, she said. In Vigo, the obesity rate is about 33 percent compared to 26 percent nationally, she said. Also, the adult smoking rate here is about 20 percent, compared to 14 percent nationally.
Other factors that can play into the community’s lower life expectancy include drug use and infant mortality rates that are higher than some of Indiana’s other counties, Keller said.
While the rankings draw attention to the problem, she believes what’s most important is to focus attention on the many groups, and initiatives, to improve the community’s overall health. Those making efforts include United Way of the Wabash Valley and the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce; Mayor Duke Bennett has promoted health initiatives, she said.
Among the community initiatives to improve health and quality of life include Wabashiki and Heritage trails and the United Way’s Wabash Valley Mobile Market, which makes fresh fruits and vegetables available to those who may not have easy access. She believes the community’s clean indoor air ordinance has made a difference.
Keller believes there have been improvements in the community, but those don’t always show up quickly in data and rankings. “We want to see huge changes and we want them to be dramatic, and that typically almost never happens in health care,” she said.
“Making health a priority takes a lot of work,” she said, and for it to be successful, it takes a commitment from community and government leaders.
Richard Payonk, executive director of United Way of the Wabash Valley, said the organization is not just a clearinghouse for charitable giving. It also focuses on programs that strengthen education, health and financial stability. “We must improve both physical and mental health in our community to achieve the objective of everyone living a good and prosperous life,” he said.
United Way’s Healthier by 2020 initiatives work to address healthier lifestyles and healthy eating. They include the mobile market as well as Community Teaching Kitchens, which show people easy ways to make healthier, low-cost meals.
Several United Way member agencies offer programs that promote physical activity and good mental health, he said.
In county health rankings released each year, Vigo County shows higher rates of obesity, smoking and physical inactivity than other parts of the state, and until that changes, “It will be hard to move up that ladder to better rankings,” he said. The life expectancy rating may not be a source of community pride, but hopefully, the attention will show people, “We have some work to do,” Payonk said.
The 24/7 Wall St. article was based on data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation; the National Center for Health Statistics; the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey; and the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps program, a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
Our time is short
Davis weighed 300 pounds earlier this year; she is now down to 260, and she’s far from done.
She credits the YMCA’s TOO program with providing encouragement, motivation and accountability. TOO is supported both by the YMCA and United Way.
The TOO group provides information and resources on nutrition, exercise, goal setting and motivation. Participants attend one class a week to learn about portion sizes, calorie needs, exercise plans, modifying fitness activities, emotional eating, staying healthy through the holidays and more.
They weigh in each week and track progress in pounds, inches and reduction in body mass index and percentage of body fat. Amy Demchak is the TOO director.
In the four weeks leading to Thanksgiving, Davis participated in the Turkey Triathlon Challenge at the Y. She biked 112 miles, walked or ran about 26.2 miles and swam about 2.4 miles. “It was fun to be challenged,” she said.
In an email, she wrote, “I hope my story can inspire someone else to make choices for better health. I am just a normal person taking this journey one step at a time. My life can be crazy and messy raising four beautiful children, being a wife and caring for those around me. I don’t always make the healthy choice, but I am learning that making the better choice most of the time is yielding positive change. I am determined to be victorious in my battle for better health because my life depends on it. At this point, quitting is not an option. I am not facing any major health issues, but without making different choices now, it is just a matter of time. Our time on this earth is short, so I want to live it to the fullest.”