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According to the report, if obesity rates continue on their current trajecto- ries, by 2030, 13 states could have adult obesity rates above 60 percent, 39 states could have rates above 50 percent, and all 50 states could have rates above 44 percent. Data predict Texas’ obesity rate will rank 21st in the nation at 57.2 per- cent by 2030. According to the Centers for Disease


Control and Prevention 2011 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, Texas’ adult obesity rate (30.4 percent) tied for 10th nationally with Kentucky. In addition, F as in Fat warns if states’ obesity rates continue to rise, the num- ber of new cases of type 2 diabetes mel- litus, coronary heart disease, stroke, hy- pertension, and arthritis could increase 10 times between 2010 and 2020 and double again by 2030.


Obesity could contribute to more than


6 million cases of type 2 diabetes, 5 mil- lion cases of coronary heart disease and stroke, and more than 400,000 cases of cancer in the next two decades. By 2030, the report says, annual


medical costs associated with treating preventable obesity-related diseases will increase by $48 billion to $66 billion in the United States. The loss in economic productivity could be between $390 bil- lion and $580 billion per year. The report says that if Texas reduced


the average body mass index of its resi- dents by just 5 percent by 2030, the state would save $54 billion in health care costs. The report includes a series of policy


recommendations:


• Protect the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Prevention and Public Health Fund;


• Increase investments in effective, ev- idence-based obesity-prevention pro- grams;


• Make physical education and physical activity a priority in the reauthoriza- tion of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act;


• Fully support healthy nutrition in fed- eral food programs; and


• Encourage full use of preventive health services and provide support beyond the doctor’s office.


Texas Cardiac Center


Medicaid initiative to reduce premature birth risk


A new Texas Medicaid initiative will provide pregnant women at high risk of delivering premature infants with a 24-hour help line and other resources to increase their chances of carrying their babies full term.


The Medicaid Healthy Moms and


Babies program, which began in July, is part of a larger effort to reduce the need for expensive neonatal intensive care for premature Medicaid babies, which cost the state $446 million in 2009. The pro- gram also provides additional resources to parents of babies born prematurely. Last October, Medicaid stopped paying for elective inductions before 39 weeks. Medicaid pays for more than half of all births in Texas. It costs the state 18 times more to care for a premature in- fant in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) than for a healthy newborn. The average Medicaid cost for a regular delivery costs $2,500, compared with $45,000 for an infant in a NICU. The Medicaid Healthy Moms and


Babies program will identify women at high risk for delivering prematurely and provide them with information, one-on- one support, and access to a 24-hour help line they can call with questions and concerns. Women may receive calls from a care coordinator who will help them monitor their pregnancy, keep their appointments, and talk about lifestyle changes to help them reduce the risk of a premature or low-birth-weight infant. The state also will provide parents of Medicaid infants in a NICU access to nurses and a hotline to help them care for their babies after they leave the hos- pital. The goal is to lessen the time spent in the NICU, improve the baby’s health, and reduce the risk of readmission to the hospital. n


Crystal Conde is an associate editor of Texas Medicine. You can reach her by telephone at (800) 880-1300, ext. 1385, or (512) 370-1385; by fax at (512) 370-1629; or by email at crystal.conde@texmed.org.


Interventional cardiologist job opportunity in Lubbock, Texas to fill an unexpected vacancy in a group with a large practice and involvement in many clinical trials.


If interested, please forward your CV to Texas Cardiac Center, Attn: Beverly Winn, 3710 21st St, Lubbock, TX 79410 or fax to (806) 780-5445.


http://txcardiac.com E-mail: bwinn@txcardiac.com Special


Thanks


The Texas Pediatric Society Foundation expresses its sincere appreciation for the support of its 2012 Annual Benefit to


Pearse, MD Lee Ann


Proceeds from the Benefit and Silent Auction support research, education and community service projects


that improve the health, safety and welfare of children and adolescents in Texas. The 2013 Benefit will be held on Saturday, September 21 in Galveston. For more information on the Benefit, contact Amy White, 401 W. 15th Street, Ste. 682, Austin, TX 78701; PH: 512-370-1519, amy.white@txpeds.org


November 2012 TEXAS MEDICINE 41


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