We Hoosiers are getting fatter. Or so a report from the Trust for America’s Health said last week.

According to stories from The Associated Press earlier this week and a story that Zach Spicer of The Tribune’s staff will publish on Saturday, 26.8 percent of Indiana adults were obese in 2006, up from 25.5 percent in 2005.

That wasn’t the only bad news for Hoosiers last week. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that more Hoosiers — about 37,500 — sank below the federal poverty level in 2006, for a total of about 777,700.  As a percent, that’s 12.7 percent of all Hoosiers v ersus 12.2 percent in 1995, according to The AP.

And that wasn’t all the bad news, either. The Indiana Department of Education and a story from January Wetzel of The Tribune’s staff reported that overall Indiana’s SAT scores were down. There was some good local news in those scores, though, with Seymour High School and Medora High School students reporting overall gains. And Seymour’s average score remains above the state average.

Is there a correlation?

I’d think you could argue that the lesss educated you are, the less income you colud generally expect to earn. And perhaps the less education and income you have, you coulc generally expect to make less wise nutrition decisions or be able to afford better nutrition decisions.

I’m not an expert on education, poverty or obesity (although I’ve known poverty and am quite familiar with obesity), it seems there probably is a strong link between the three.

All three numbers  that were released last week — a less-healthy, less-wealthy and less-wise populace — should be a reminder (I’d hope most of realize we have these problems) for our community that we must address those issues.

Could we come together for a let’s-get-fit drive in the community? I think that’d be great. Maybe Schneck Medical Center and private health and fitneses firms could be involved. We could mirror it on the state fitness program aimed at improving the health of Hoosiers.

Could we continue — and more productively — promote the importance of a good education? We are, and Ivy Tech Community College and Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus classes being offered in Jackson County are an example of that commitment. The newspaper is partnering with Ivy Tech, IUPUC, area schools and a committee of the Greater Seymour Chamber of Commerce to better tell the story of education in our community.

It seems like improving those areas of our lives — our health and our education — could result in helping to lift our neighbors out of poverty.

You have any ideas? Want to launch a campaign? Let me know.