From Physics.org:The task won't be easy. States in Appalachia lead the country in heart disease risk factors such as smoking, obesity and lack of exercise, and those factors could partly come from long-held cultural practices and beliefs.
That's why the two-day conference that began Thursday includes historians, who can explain the unique characteristics of the region that stretches from Mississippi into upstate New York, including parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and all of West Virginia.
Four of the five states with the highest rates of common heart conditions are in Appalachia, according to the CDC. West Virginia is the highest in the country, with about 10.4 percent of adults reporting a common heart condition such as coronary heart disease, compared to a national average of about 6.5 percent.
So thirteen states are ready to take a stand. What about the other 37? Then again, for those of us that have driven through there, I can't imagine that those folks could have great access to health care. Seriously, many of them are really dirt poor, and the area is quite rural. If they are having an MI, I doubt they're getting to a cath lab too soon.
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