Pima County trying to put the brakes on the obesity epidemic

TUCSON, AZ (KOLD) - If you're worried about your health, or your child's health, you're not alone.

A new report says Americans are drinking too many sugary drinks.

Not just soda, but sports and energy drinks.

New findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show one in 20 people drinks the equivalent of more than four cans of soda each day.

Teenage boys drink the most sweet drinks.

It can lead to health problems later on, including obesity and diabetes.

The future is looking downright dangerous if you are worried about the health of Americans.

Obesity, and the life-threatening diseases related to it, are on the rise.

Things like diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers.

More people are pushing prevention, and the money they say it can save all of us.

They want to change the way Americans think, and make doing the right things easier.

It's too easy to eat foods that can make us fat.

Americans like drive-throughs and huge portions.

Tucsonan Mike Pavelka says, "Oh, I had the worst habits. I had the worst habits."

Pavelka hit 335 pounds, and started to lose weight, but a diabetes diagnosis did it for him.

He lost more than 100 pounds. He eats right and exercises.

"I have a grandchild and I want to see him grow up, and I want to live to old age. So that's why I'm working so hard," he says.

Some consider diabetes the single greatest public health risk our nation faces.

Federal money is paying for a national campaign through the CDC, "Communities Putting Prevention To Work," or CPPW.

Pima County got part of that money, $15.75 million over two years.

You might already have seen or heard the ads for the campaign.

The idea is to make it easier for us to adopt better habits, like giving us more sidewalks and bicycle paths.

"Not only because it improves the physical health of the people who make use of it, but it also improves the economic health of businesses along these routes and improves property values. Walkable neighborhoods, we've seen, have higher property values," says Dr. Donald Gates, Pima County Health Department Program manager.

Carondelet Health Network is part of the CPPW team, and will be working with health care groups and faith-based groups, such as local congregations.

"They're already set up as a community to support each other. Why not have them supporting each other in health and wellness," says Carondelet Health Network Obesity Prevention Program Manager Taz Greiner.

If things don't change, it's estimated that half of all Americans will be obese by 2030.

Why should the other half care?

The experts say preventing illness costs a lot less than treating it.

"Prevention is going to be a big aspect of it...not just waiting until someone has a chronic disease," Greiner says.

"How do we make our community a better place to live?" asks Gates.  "If we can reduce obesity spending. If we can increase the attractiveness of our property and our community to outside agencies who want to come in and hire, relocate."

He says those are the two facets behind the campaign: "The government concern about the property value, about the attractiveness of the community. The public health concern about how to make sure that we live as long as we should, have the quality of life that we should."

Federal stimulus money is paying for the campaign.

Coordinators say, if it cuts obesity-related health care costs by a quarter percent, it will pay for itself.