Activate Allen County Newsletter August 2014 | Page 12
What Can Be Done
Obesity is a complex problem that requires action at many levels,
for both adults as well as children.
The U.S. Government can
States can
◊◊Promote change
◊◊Provide supermarkets and farmers’ markets
with incentives to establish their businesses in
lo w-income areas and to offer healthy foods.
●●First Lady Michelle Obama recently launched
the Let’s Move! program which seeks to eliminate childhood obesity within a generation.
The campaign’s main points of action are:
• Empowering parents and caregivers.
• Providing healthy food in schools.
• Improving access to healthy, affordable
foods.
• Increasing physical activity.
See http://www.letsmove.gov/
◊◊Recommend actions
●●In May 2010, The Childhood Obesity Task
Force, appointed by President Obama, released 70 recommended actions to prevent and
control childhood obesity.
See http://www.letsmove.gov/obesitytaskforce.php
●●A new CDC program, Communities Putting
Prevention to Work,* is designed to improve
nutrition and physical activity and prevent
and control obesity by changing policies and
environments. CDC recently provided $139
million to 50 states and $373 million to 30
communities and tribes to fund programs to
reverse the obesity epidemic.
*Communities Putting Prevention to Work is a new program
included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of
2009. It also addresses decreasing tobacco use. See http://
www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/recovery/community.htm
◊◊ Expand programs that bring local fruits and vegetables to schools, businesses, and communities.
◊◊Support hospital programs that encourage
breastfeeding.
◊◊Adopt policies that promote bicycling and public transportation.
Communities can
◊◊ Create and maintain safe neighborhoods for
physical activity and improve access to parks and
playgrounds.
◊◊ Advocate for quality physical education in
schools and childcare facilities.
◊◊ Encourage breastfeeding through peer-to- peer
support programs.
◊◊ Support programs that bring local fruits and vegetables to schools, businesses, and communities.
All people can
◊◊Eat more fruits and vegetables and fewer
foods high in fat and sugar.
See http://www.mypyramid.gov/
◊◊Drink more water instead of sugary drinks.
◊◊Limit TV watching in kids to less than 2 hours
a day and don’t put one in their room at all.
◊◊Support breastfeeding.
www
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr
For more information, please contact
Telephone: 1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636)
TTY: 1-888-232-6348
E-mail: [email protected]
4
Web: www.cdc.gov
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30333
Publication date: 08/03/2010
◊◊Promote policies and programs at school, at
work, and in the community that make the
healthy choice the easy choice.
◊◊Try going for a 10-minute brisk walk, 3 times
a day, 5 days a week.
See http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/adults.html.