The State of Louisiana has some great sites, resources, and information available for Louisianans to live healthy lifestyles.  Frankly, once you start digging around – it’s quite impressive.  The majority of those sites are government funded and non-profits (many are rooted out of the Louisiana Public Health Institute). This differs from us, Be Fit NOLA, but ultimately our goals are the same…to raise awareness, gather and disseminate information and encourage/teach people how to live healthier lifestyles.

But even with that being said – Louisianans and New Orleanians face serious health issues.

(The following excerpts are sourced from Stay Healthy Louisiana)

Heart Disease

Even Young People Need to Monitor Their Cholesterol

High cholesterol greatly increases the risk for heart disease and heart attacks. Following simple nutrition and fitness guidelines and getting a cholesterol blood test every five years beginning at age 20 can help manage cholesterol build up in the body and prevent a heart attack. Learn about what you can do to manage your own cholesterol levels.

Heart attack warning signs include:

Chest discomfort, usually in the center of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back. This can can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain. Discomfort in other areas of the upper body, including pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach. Shortness of breath and other symptoms, such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea, or light-headedness are also early warning signs.

Obesity

The percentage of overweight and/or obese adults in Louisiana has become an emergent health concern, rising in the past 10 years from 49 percent in 1991 to 63 percent in 2004, as noted by the Louisiana Health Report Card. The percentage of overweight or obese 18-to-24 year olds increased the most.

Understanding what is considered as “average weight,” “overweight” and “obese” is essential to knowing where the danger lies. An individuals body mass index (BMI), an index of weight relative to height, is used to estimate the percentage of fat a person has on his or her body. A person is defined as overweight if his or her BMI is between 25.0 and 29.9 and obese if their BMI is greater than 30.0.

Read more and instantly calculate your Body Mass Index click here.

Diabetes

Reduce Your Child’s Risk of Developing Diabetes

The number of children diagnosed with type-2 diabetes is gradually increasing, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Medical experts advise that Hispanic, African American, and American Indian adolescents are particularly at risk. While some critics blame changes in the healthcare system, many healthcare officials testify that these outcomes are the result of an unhealthy culture. Children who consume high calorie foods and rarely exercise are increasing their likelihood of developing type-2 diabetes. Learn more about helping educate children on the benefits of healthy lifestyles.

Cancer

Louisiana’s High Cancer Rates

Home to  ”Cancer Alley,” a strip of land between New Orleans and Baton Rouge that houses many industrial and petrochemical plants, Louisiana is found to have cancer rates that outpace the national average. For Louisiana residents, the most frequently diagnosed cancers are lung at 16 percent, prostate, 16 percent, breast, 14 percent, colon and rectum, 12 percent, and urinary bladder, 4 percent.  The five-year period between 2000 and 2004 brought 105,082 diagnoses of invasive primary in Louisiana residents, or an average of 21,016 cases per year. Specifically, Louisiana’s incidence rates for tobacco- related cancers such as lung, oral cavity, kidney, and pancreas are also higher than U.S. rates, which are preventable.

We’ve added Stay Healthy Louisiana to our blogroll because we think it’s a site well worth visiting often – you can also Fan Stay Healthy Louisiana on Facebook.