Diego Lopez, Reporter
More than a third of Cibola County residents are obese. This is the highest number ever recorded by the New Mexico Department of Health in the Cibola County area. The rise in obesity has contributed to a decline in the overall health of the area, and appears to have grown especially over the years 2020 and 2021. The people of Cibola are unlike those in the rest of the nation because 48 percent of people in Cibola live within one mile of a park, according to recently released Census Bureau information. Despite the quick accessibility to outdoor recreation opportunities, residents of Cibola have ditched the outdoors for a more stagnant lifestyle.
Obesity Rate Change According to data released from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute’s County Health Rankings and Roadmaps program, the adult obesity rate in Cibola has increased.
In 2012, 32 percent of Cibola County weighed enough to be considered in the “Obese” category of the Body Mass Index, a metric used to determine a person’s weight category. 10 years later, in 2022, Cibola’s obesity rate has risen to 39 percent. Even though Cibola’s obesity rate has increased, it did not have the highest obesity increase in the state. Cibola was in the middle of obesity level growth when compared to other counties in the state.
In 2022, every single county in New Mexico became more obese. The county which gained the most obesity is Colfax, which grew 13 percent. In 2010 Colfax had a 21 percent obesity rating, now in 2022 it is at 34 percent.
On the state side, New Mexico had the biggest growth in obesity out of all the states in the Union. New Mexico’s obesity rate rose from 24 percent in 2012, to 32 percent in 2022.
Clinical Care in New Mexico While the obesity rate continues to climb, the number of uninsured residents in Cibola remained stagnant. 13 percent of Cibola County has no health insurance. This follows a stagnating pattern which has persisted since 2019.
Cibola is maintaining its rate of dentists, which residents have ready access to.
In a study, the County Health Rankings and Roadmaps program identified that 33 percent of Cibola County residents have little to no daily of their daily lives. In this same study, 16 percent of residents claimed to drink excessively, while 21 percent said that they smoke regularly.
Cibola is seeing an improvement by decreasing alcohol-impaired driving deaths. The Cibola County Sheriff’s Office and New Mexico State Police will be aiding this effort through the month of August and September by looking for impaired drivers. The efforts over the last 10 years have had an improvement as Cibola saw 55 percent of its deaths in 2018 be related to alcohol-impaired drivers, the 2022 rate currently sits at 23 percent.
When it comes to doctors in Cibola County, residents outnumber the valuable primary care physicians 2,050 to one. Residents outnumber dentists 1,390 to one, and residents outnumber mental health providers 260 to one in Cibola.
About this Data
This data was compiled
using the 2020 and 2021 Census Bureau fact sheets, In a statement, the public health institute said, “The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute advances health and well-being for all by developing and evaluating interventions and promoting evidencebased approaches to policy and practice at the local, state, and national levels. The Institute works across the full spectrum of factors that contribute to health and equity. The Institute promotes an exchange of expertise between those in academia and those in the policy and practice arena.” Specifically, “The CHR&R program provides data, evidence, guidance, and examples to build awareness of the multiple factors that influence health and support leaders in growing community power to improve health equity. The Rankings are unique in their ability to measure the health of nearly every county in all 50 states, and are complemented by guidance, tools, and resources designed to accelerate community learning and action. CHR&R is known for effectively translating and communicating complex data and evidence-informed policy into accessible models, reports, and products that deepen the understanding of what makes communities healthy and inspires and supports improvement efforts. County Health Rankings & Roadmaps’ work is rooted in a sincere belief in health equity, the idea that everyone deserves a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible.”