AOK Nordost publishes regional health atlas
22.08.2023 16:59
One in seven AOK insured people in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has an obesity diagnosis and is therefore very overweight. That's 53 percent more people than ten years ago. This emerges from the new AOK Nordost Health Atlas. The atlas also shows in detail which districts in MV obesity is particularly widespread.
The problem of obesity has increased throughout MV. In 2011, around ten percent of the AOK-insured residents of MV received a medical diagnosis of obesity. In 2021 it was around 15 percent. According to an AOK analysis, around 223,000 people in MV are obese. And these are just the cases diagnosed by doctors; the number of unreported cases is much higher. The Robert Koch Institute conducted a representative sample in 2012that 23 percent of Germans are obese. More recent representative figures from the RKI are not available. The AOK figures are almost representative, because AOK Nordost is the largest health insurance company in MV.
“It is worrying that the incidence of obesity has increased sharply in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Our health atlas clearly shows that obesity is the most important risk factor for most other chronic diseases. The federal government is called upon to take countermeasures – and to adopt binding reduction targets for the fat and sugar content of foods. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania also needs a concerted effort with all stakeholders in the healthcare system to address the problem at the state political level. We are very happy to take part in this,” says Daniela Teichert, CEO of AOK Nordost.
The published interactive AOK Nordost Health Atlas gives detailed insights into how widespread the ten most common chronic diseases are in Berlin, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. And not just at the district or district level. But for MV for each of the over 1249 districts. Whether obesity, depression or back pain: The atlas uses animated maps to show where and how much these common diseases have increased since 2010. And he gives detailed forecasts for the year 2040.
Higher risk of back pain, asthma and depression too
The health atlas shows specifically that AOK insured people who are obese have around twice the risk of developing back pain, depression, asthma and the lung disease COPD.
Obese people are around 120 percent more likely to suffer from coronary heart disease, around 450 percent more often to diabetes and around 620 percent more often to have high blood pressure. But obese AOK insured people also have a higher risk of colon cancer (36 percent) and malignant cancer neoplasms (46 percent).
People from socially disadvantaged communities are more often affected
Residents of socially disadvantaged districts and communities are particularly affected by obesity. They have a 13 percent higher risk of obesity than residents of the richest districts and communities in MV. Unemployed AOK insured people even have a 22 percent higher risk of becoming obese.
Accordingly, the small-scale map of the health atlas shows a particularly high proportion of obesity in the socially disadvantaged areas of the Mecklenburg Lake District and Vorpommern-Greifswald districts, while most districts in the larger cities of Schwerin and Rostock are much less affected.
Just a few hundred meters makes a big difference
The very fine resolution of the AOK Nordost Health Atlas shows: It is often worth taking a closer look, because sometimes there are only a few kilometers between areas with low and high disease burdens. Example Rostock: In the Hansaviertel district, 9.5 percent of AOK insured people are affected by obesity - the municipality is given a bright yellow color. In the northern district of Reutershagen, on the other hand, 12.2 percent of people have the diagnosis of obesity - light green. Directly above is the dark green district of Evershagen, where 16 percent of those insured by the AOK have an obesity diagnosis.
Small-scale resolution enables targeted countermeasures
“The more granular we can break down the billing data on chronic illnesses, the better we can take targeted countermeasures. The atlas helps to identify hotspots with a high disease burden within the districts and independent cities. This knowledge helps to plan medical care and prevention offers in a much more targeted manner,” says geodata analyst Dr. Boris Kauhl, who played a key role in creating the health atlas.
Specifically, the health atlas helps the admissions committees to determine where exactly within a district or city new specialist positions should be allocated. And at which daycare centers and schools in MV, prevention offers for healthy eating are particularly urgently needed in order to prevent the development of obesity in childhood.
AOK Nordost promotes vegetable farming at 15 schools in MV
AOK Nordost is committed to providing good, healthy nutrition in schools with a variety of projects. The health insurance fund is currently enabling 15 schools in MV to participate in the program through financial support VegetableAckerdemic. The program is aimed at students in third through eighth grade.
The third module of the AOK health program also started in June wildGreen with a focus on nutrition. It is aimed primarily at young people aged 12 to 17 and teachers. Here you will find out more about nutritional trends such as vegan and vegetarian diets as well as the Planetary Health Diet, which promotes a climate-friendly and wholesome diet.
In addition, AOK Nordost offers its insured persons with medically diagnosed obesity free nutritional advice upon request.