Obesity Prevention/Physical Activity/Nutrition

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About Obesity Prevention, Physical Activity, and Nutrition

More than one-third of U.S. adults (over 72 million people) and 17 perecent of U.S. children are obese. During 1980–2008, obesity rates doubled for adults and tripled for children. The cause for the obesity endemic in the United States stems from a variety of factors. During the past several decades, obesity rates for all population groups—regardless of age, sex, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, education level, or geographic region—have increased substantially.

NACCHO, in cooperation with the CDC, seeks to address these issues and develop interventions through evidence-based, cost-effective strategies which can have a significant impact on our nation's health. As a result, the CDC has identified obesity, nutrition, and physical activity as winnable battles. CDC supports several approaches to combat obesity, including, but not limited to, improving the food environments in schools and workplaces; reducing sodium levels in processed and restaurant foods; and increasing the number of people who meet recommended physical activity guidelines.

Local health departments (LHDs) play a crucial role in the identification, management and prevention of obesity. Through program initiatives and community outreach, LHDs will be called upon to investigate methods which influence individual behavior modification as well as community dynamics and how they factor into nutrition, physical activity and obesity.

Progress in obesity management and prevention are being made by developing policies, systems, and environmental initiatives that help make healthy choices available, affordable, and easy.

Our current projects include the following:

New Morbidity and Mortality Report

Obesity in K-7 Students - Anchorage, Alaska

playground_1446674c Childhood obesity is a major public health concern in the United States. In the recently released Mortality and Morbidity Report (MMWR), a study on K-7 students enrolled in schools in the metropolitan Anchorage area found around 16.8% of these students were obese - a number that is fairly close to the national average of 17.0% for students of similar age.

To access the full article, click here.

New CDC Salt Sources Study

Stroke and heart disease are directly related to high blood pressure, a condition that affects about 67 million Americans (31 percent of U.S. adults). Sodium intake directly and progressively increases blood pressure and subsequently increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. There is a critical need for current, accurate information about the sources of sodium intake among diverse groups of adults living in the United States. CDC plans to conduct a new Salt Sources Study to obtain information about the amount of sodium consumed from various sources (including sodium from processed and restaurant foods, sodium inherent in foods, and salt added at the table and during cooking) and to examine variability across population subgroups. For more information, click here to access the Federal Register Notice.