Obesity, smoking among Ohio's top health challenges

<h2>Ohio News Connection</h2> <p>A <a href="https://www.americashealthrankings.org/learn/reports/2021-annual-report/state-summaries-ohio" target="_blank">new report</a> provides insight on measures of health in Ohio needing improvement in the new year and beyond.<br> <br> The "America's Health Rankings 2021" report from UnitedHealthcare puts Ohio at 38th among states for health outcomes, with notable challenges including a high prevalence of cigarette smoking, insufficient sleep and the number of people with multiple chronic conditions.<br> <br> The findings also noted a 13% increase in obesity in the Buckeye State between 2016 and 2020.<br> <br> Dr. Lisa Bohman Egbert, president of the Ohio State Medical Association, said it is not a surprise.<br> <br> "There's a certain amount of personal responsibility, but I think there's also a normalization of a heavier weight as a greater and greater percentage of people become obese," Bohman Egbert asserted.<br> <br> Ohio's obesity rate is 35.5% compared with about 32% nationally. The state received positive marks for the measures of low-birthweight racial disparities, nonmedical drug use, and the suicide rate. About 80% of Ohioans reported having a dedicated health-care provider and just 9% reported avoiding care due to the cost.<br> <br> Nutrition and physical activity are also areas of concern. Just over 6% of Ohio adults reported eating two or more fruits and three or more vegetables daily, and only one in five said they have met the federal guidelines for physical activity in the last month.<br> <br> Bohman Egbert suggested inactivity is the downside of modern conveniences.<br> <br> "We can drive everywhere; we can go through a drive-through; everything we do we can do online," Bohman Egbert outlined. "We've made it so easy to be sedentary that to get up and move is a challenge."<br> <br> The research also found an uptick in deaths between 2019 and 2020 nationwide.<br> <br> Dr. Ravi Johar, chief medical officer of UnitedHealthcare, said the pandemic contributed about