Berks County Medical Society Medical Record Winter 2020 - 9

by Berks Nature in partnership with the Berks County Medical Society

e have become so busy in our daily lives keeping up with
work, school, sports and extracurricular activities that
we sometimes forget to stop and smell the roses, literally.
Stop to take a break in our own backyard, a forest, or local park. Or,
focus time on our bodies and being active in the outdoors. Children
are especially vulnerable to this and are not spending enough time
outdoors. This new normal is taking a toll on the health of our
community.
Berks County is fortunate to be home to an abundance of trails,
parks, and open spaces that are FREE and accessible to the public.
Nature is right here in front of us - and can serve as medicine.
Nature is both preventative and therapeutic. We challenge Berks
County spend more time in nature - for physical and mental benefit
- by participating in the Berks Nature Rx program.
Berks Nature Rx is an easy way to introduce (or re-introduce)
nature into your routine weekly life. The Berks County Medical
Society and Berks Nature believe that doctors, patients, and the
community in general need to utilize the great outdoors to help
prevent disease, and as a therapy for physical and mental challenges.

Ivan Bub

Current Health of our Community
According to the Berks County Community Needs Health
Assessment of 2013, our local community is trending higher obesity
rates than the average for Pennsylvania and higher than the United
States average. Obesity is one of the biggest drivers of preventable
chronic diseases in the US. Being overweight or obese increases the
risk for many health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart
disease, stroke, hypertension, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, dementia,
liver disease, kidney disease, osteoarthritis, and respiratory problems.
Clearly, the health of our community needs to improve, and many of
the symptoms and diseases described here are preventable.
In Berks County:
* Nearly one‐third of adults (30.2%) are obese and more than
one‐third (35.9%) are overweight.
* One‐third of Berks County adults (33.4%) have been diagnosed
with high blood pressure; this percentage represents 105,400
adults.
* One in seven adults (13.9%) has been diagnosed with diabetes.
* Although 14.6% of Berks Countians have been diagnosed with
a mental health condition, only 38.5% of those are receiving
treatment for their condition.
* Berks County has a higher percentage (24.9%) than the state
(24%) of physical inactivity, even though the access to exercise is
comparable to the state.
* Percentage of the adult population (age 20 and older) that
reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/
m2. 33% in Berks County vs. 30% in PA.
* In Berks County in 2014, diseases of the heart and chronic
lower respiratory disease were on the top three list of causes of
death.
continued on next page

Ivan Bub

One of the great things about living in Berks County is that we have incredibly beauty on our doorstep. As a photography
enthusiast, who also enjoys cycling, hiking and being out in nature , I can go from a busy office routine to being surrounded
by this wonderful landscape in a matter of minutes. This has proved to be extremely therapeutic. The other nice thing is the
landscape is constantly changing with the seasons, so you have a year round wonderland. I encourage everyone to get out
there, breath the fresh air, listen to the birds, enjoy the trees, flowers and animals. - Ivan Bub
WINTER 2020

Berks County Medical Society Medical Record Winter 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Berks County Medical Society Medical Record Winter 2020