Preventive health care: good for employees and employers: diet, exercise, weight control helps prevent top five causes of death in state.

• Author: Barbour, Tracy

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In Alaska, the primary causes of death are chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. But, ironically, these progressive diseases can be avoided with proper preventive measures that are simple and easy to implement. Moreover, preventative health care offers tremendous benefits to employees and employers by saving money and lives.

In 2003, there were 3,178 deaths in Alaska, 65 percent of which were identified within the top five causes of death, reports the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services "2002-03 Behavioral Risk Factor Survey: Preventative Practices."

According to the survey, the leading causes of death in Alaska in 2003 were malignant neoplasms (cancer), disease of the heart, unintentional injuries, cerebrovascular diseases (stroke), chronic lower respiratory diseases, intentional self-harm (suicide), diabetes mellitus (Type 2), Alzheimer's disease, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, and influenza and pneumonia.

Most of the deaths--which were of a chronic nature--could have been circumvented, according to Ruth Townsend, Alaska Regional Hospital's director of cardiac rehab, diabetes and nutrition center. "If you think about most of the diseases that are causing problems, basically they're the chronic conditions," she says. "Chronic diseases don't happen overnight. It's 40 years of a behavior that's making a difference."

However, people have a great deal of capability when it comes to controlling behavior-related diseases, Townsend says. The key is to manage the behavioral risk factors that can increase your chance of having chronic diseases. In Alaska, the most prevalent behavioral risk factors include being overweight/ obese, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, and binge/heavy drinking.

So how healthy are Alaskans? According to Healthy Alaskans 2010 Volume 1: Targets for Improved Health:

* Alaska's population is slightly more overweight--having a body mass index greater than 25 and less than 30-than other states.

* In Alaska, more than 50 percent of the population exercises on an irregular basis or not at all.

* Alaska has one of the highest smoking rates in the country, with more than one out of four Alaskans addicted to tobacco. Nearly one-half of these people will die prematurely as a result of their addiction.

* Fourteen percent of Alaskans abuse or are dependent on alcohol, compared to just 7 percent of the U.S. population.

* Alaska has...