As this is being written, The Daily’s newsroom is crowded with editors, reporters, photographers and copy editors diligently working to get Thursday’s edition of the newspaper ready for print.

While punching out a front-page story on the keyboard of a computer, one reporter reaches into a bag of gummy bears to satisfy his sweet tooth.

A copy editor takes several healthy swigs from a bottle of soda while looking over one of Thursday’s Life & Arts pages.

The plastic/aluminum recycling bin against one of the walls overflows with empty soda bottles. And a pack of cigarettes peeks out from an editor’s purse.

Empty bowls that used to be filled with candy litter the room.

This scene is not unusual in The Daily’s newsroom, where the four major food groups are candy, cookies, soda and nicotine.

And based on a United Health Foundation report released earlier this week, it seems as though this scene is not uncommon in office buildings and homes throughout the state of Oklahoma, either.

That report ranks our state 49 in the U.S. in terms of overall health. The only state that finished behind Oklahoma in the report is Mississippi.

When we heard the results of the foundation’s report, our initial reaction was one of horror, but not surprise.

It’s no secret Oklahoma has several challenging health issues plaguing its citizens, including high rates of both smoking and obesity. According to the report, as many as 56 percent of all Oklahomans may be obese within the next decade.

These findings are sobering reminders that, as a state, we are not as healthy as we should be.

But what can be done to solve these problems?

Perhaps some may believe a call should be made to state lawmakers to enact more programs and devote more funding to making sure fewer Oklahomans start smoking or more Oklahomans get health insurance.

Unfortunately, however, an easy passage of blame does not seem to be available, as Oklahoma actually scored fairly well in funding for public health, according to the report. No, solving these challenges is going to take a combined, concerted effort from every Oklahoman, including us.

As we mentioned before, The Daily’s newsroom is a veritable ground zero for unhealthy behavior. Candy is as at home in the newsroom as reporters are. This type of scene needs to change if Oklahoma’s health outlook is to improve.

Hopefully this health report will be an impetus for this change. It certainly has made us take a second look at our health habits.

We encourage you to do the same.

Start watching what you eat. A vegetable wouldn’t kill you every once in a while.

Try to stop smoking if you currently do. And if you don’t, keep it that way.

The Huston Huffman Center is open until midnight on most days. Start taking advantage of this on-campus workout facility.

Like we said, it won’t be easy. But if we all do our part, we can beat these daunting challenges.