CDC Winnable Battle Goal:
Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity
Group members: Moube Ewane, Wenhui Liu, Molly Russell &
Rachel Saylor
The number of overweight and obese Americans is going to keep climbing, and by the year 2030 all fifty states are estimated to have obesity rates between 44-60%
Check out the HBO documentary The Weight of the Nation.
What
can we do?
Part of the reason people are obese is due to the
fact that only 48% of American adults and less than 30% of high school students
meet the requirements for daily physical activity
Exercise is a wonderful way to keep yourself healthy, and it doesn't take much - just 30 minutes of walking five days a week
Studies have shown that the main
culprit of obesity is physical inactivity. Childhood is a very important time
for the development of motor coordination skills, which are pertinent for
health and general well being. Sedentary lifestyle (physical inactivity) has a
negative effect of such motor skills, and is associated with decreased fitness,
low self-esteem, decreased academic achievement and increased obesity. Also,
the origin of sedentary lifestyle can be traced to modern technological
conveniences such as video games, Internet, cell phones, television, cars, and
fast food. Hence having little or no time for physical exercise
Another reason the US is combating an obesity epidemic is
because of poor nutrition. We’re eating
too much, and it’s not healthy food. In
fact, it’s not just a US problem, but the whole world. Look at this graph showing the increase in
calorie consumption since the 1960s (Wikipedia, 2009) .
A lot of that added sugar is probably coming from soft drinks. We’re drinking too much soda and too little of healthy beverages, like milk. The trends are highlighted in this graph, and it’s astonishing how much soda we drink.
Top Sources of Sodium in the Diet
|
Breads
and rolls
|
Cold
cuts and cured meats
|
Pizza
|
Poultry
|
Soups
|
Sandwiches
|
Cheese
|
Pasta
dishes
|
Meat
dishes
|
Snacks
|
So, we’re eating too much sugar and salt – what can we eat? Lots of ruits and vegetables! Chances are, you’re not getting enough produce in your diet – most Americans don’t. Remember – half of your plate a meal times should be fruits and vegetables! Check out this tutorial or visit MyPlate.gov for ideas.
Aim for 2 cups of fruit and 2 ½ to 3 cups of veggies every day. That may sound like a lot, but here are some great examples to get you started
Another important way to ensure proper nutrition for kids is
to support breastfeeding. If you’re not
a mom, you might not think this is important, but breastfeeding has been
associated with lower chances of obesity and better health outcomes,
The bottom line is to exercise, eat your fruits and
veggies, breastfeed if you can, and do the same for your kids!
What actions have
been taken?
How
can I get involved? What if I need ideas
or support?
Despite the increasing rate of obesity,
there are many national programs that have been put in place to combat
childhood obesity and increase physical activity. One of these programs is NFLPlay 60
In addition, there’s a program to fight
obesity and increase physical activity among children and adolescence called NBAFit (NBA/WNBA, 2013) , founded by
the NBA/WNBA. This program allows players to visit schools and youth centers
across the country and exercise with children, either by playing basketball,
running, weight lifting, jumping ropes, etc, just like the NFL Play 60 program.
Another national program aimed to fight
childhood obesity and increase physical activity is called Let’s Move (Let's Move) , founded by
Michelle Obama. You can get your groove on like Beyonce in this video!
At the state level, there are many actions that have been
taken in Colorado to fight childhood obesity and increase physical activity and
improve nutrition. For example, the LiveWell Colorado (LiveWell
Colorado, 2013)
is an organization that advocates for legislative actions to lower childhood
obesity, such as fighting to ban or limit junk food advertisement, increase
consumption of fruits and vegetables in schools, reduce sugary drinks in school
vending machines, etc.
Another action that is being carried out in Colorado is called
everykid healthy, sponsored by Colorado Action for Healthy Kids (Colorado
Action for Healthy Kids, 2013) . Colorado Action for
Healthy Kids fight childhood obesity and hunger by partnering with local
schools and centers to improve nutrition and increase level of physical
activity among children.
Last but not the least, another initiative that has been
around for a long time to combat childhood obesity is the physical education
courses that had been provided to middle and high school students. According to
CDC, there is a positive correlation between physical education (P.E.) classes,
academic performance and obesity. A child who takes P.E. classes is less likely
to be obese, and more likely to perform better in class than someone who does
not (CDC, 2010) .
Healthy People 2020 Goals &
Objectives
Healthy
People, under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), a science
-based to make national goals and objectives to guide US health efforts. The
Healthy People 2020 sets goals on nutrition and physical activity for children
and an adult that is paired with objectives based on current baseline numerical
data. This baseline data is used to set ten year objective benchmarks in
nutrition, 21 objectives and physical activity with 15 objectives.
The programs above meet the Health People 2020 Nutrition and Weight Status goal because they try to promote health and reduce chronic disease risk through the consumption and access of healthier food and vegetables. Some of these states and national program meet the Healthy People 2020 goal of physical activity because these programs, for example the let’s move campaigned championed by the first lady, Michelle Obama, the NFL play 60, etc. tries to improve health, fitness, and quality of life especially among youths through encouragement of daily physical activity
Healthy People 2020 Goals
Nutrition and Weight Status
Promote health and reduce chronic disease
risk through the consumption of healthful diets and achievement and maintenance
of healthy body weights.
Physical Activity
Improve health, fitness, and
quality of life through daily physical activity
The Colorado
Health Foundation is monitoring the progress of some of these objectives, on a
biannual basis, through the Colorado Health Report Card. The most recent 2012 Colorado Health Report
Card reflects how the state is doing on similar goals compared to other states.
Highlights of Indicators- The
2012 Colorado Health Report Card (Colorado Health Foundation, 2013)
Indicator
|
Age
Range
|
CO
rank (out of 50)
|
Children
who Participate in Vigorous Physical Activity
|
6–17
years
|
34
|
Obese Children
|
10-17
years
|
23
|
Adolescent Fruit consumption
|
High
school students
|
4
|
Adult Fruit and Vegetable consumption
|
18-64
years
|
12
|
Adult Physical Activity
|
18-64
years
|
1
|
Older Adults who Participate in Physical Activity
|
18-64
years
|
1
|
The Future
We feel that the broad topic of nutrition, physical activity
and obesity is a winnable battle because people want to be healthy. We can promote healthy eating by supporting state
and federal regulations to strengthen nutrition standards for foods served in
schools. We will encourage physical
activity by creating physical activity standards in Colorado’s public schools. We can’t afford not to!
References
CDC. (2010). The
association between school based physical activity, including physical
education, and academic performance. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Deptarment of
Health and Human Services.
CDC. (2011, December
1). Physical Activit - How much physical activity do adults need?
Retrieved May 10, 2013, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/adults.html
CDC. (2012, August
1). Breastfeeding. Retrieved May 10, 2013, from Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/data/NIS_data/
CDC. (2012, June
18). Nutrition for Everyone - What Counts as a Cup? Retrieved May 10,
2013, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/fruitsvegetables/cup.html
CDC. (2012, August
13). Overweight and Obesity - Adult Obesity Facts. Retrieved May 10,
2013, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
CDC. (2012, August
7). Physical Activity - Facts about Physical Activity. Retrieved May
10, 2013, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/data/facts.html
CDC. (2012,
February). Vital Signs - Where's the sodium? Retrieved May 10, 2013,
from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/Sodium/index.html
CDC. (2013, May). Publications
and Information Products - NCHS Data Brief. Retrieved May 10, 2013, from
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db122.htm
CDC. (2013, April
15). Winnable Battles - Winnable Battles: Nutrition, Physical Activity, and
Obesity. Retrieved May 10, 2013, from Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/WinnableBattles/targets/NPAO/
Colorado Action for
Healthy Kids. (2013). Colorado Action for Healthy Kids. Retrieved May
10, 2013, from Action for Healthy Kids:
http://take.actionforhealthykids.org/site/Clubs?club_id=1104&pg=main
Colorado Health
Foundation. (2013). The Colorado Health Report Card - Healthy People 2020.
Retrieved from Colorado Health Foundation:
http://www.coloradohealth.org/ReportCard/2012/subdefault.aspx?id=6014
Guyenet, S. (2008,
December 14). U.S. Weight, Lifestyle and Diet Trends, 1970-2007.
Retrieved May 10, 2013, from Whole Health Source:
http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2008/12/us-weight-lifestyle-and-diet-trends.html
Let's Move. (n.d.). Let's
Move. Retrieved May 10, 2013, from Let's Move: www.letsmove.gov
LiveWell Colorado.
(2013). LiveWell Colorado. Retrieved May 10, 2013, from LiveWell
Colorado: livewellcolorado.org
NBA/WNBA. (2013). Fit.
Retrieved May 10, 2013, from NBA.com: www.nba.com/nbafit/
NFL. (2013). Play
60. Retrieved May 10, 2013, from NFL Rush: http://www.nflrush.com/play60/
Ogden CL, C. M.
(2012). Prevalance of obesity in the United States, 2009-2010.
Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.
TFAH. (2012). F
as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2012. Trust for
America's Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
U.S. Department of Health and Human 2. Services.2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for
Americans. Washington (DC): US Dept of Health and Human Services; 2008.
Wikipedia. (2009,
October 18). Obesity. Retrieved May 10, 2013, from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity
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