Obesity Discussion Forums

[Obesity Discussion]

The Epidemic
59% of Georgia adults are overweight or obese. (CDC BRFSS, 2002)
21% of non-Hispanic white adults, 31% of non-Hispanic black adults, and 24% of Hispanic adults in Georgia are obese. (CDC BRFSS, 2002)
The obesity rate among Georgia adults increased by 118% from 1990 to 2002. (CDC BRFSS, 2002)
26% of Georgia high school students are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. (CDC YRBSS, 2003)
33% of Georgia middleschool students are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. (Georgia YRBSS, 2003)
26% of low-income children between 2 and 5 years of age in Georgia are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. (CDC PedNSS, 1990, 2002)

Program Priorities
Georgia has established a Collaborative Task Force for the Prevention of Obesity and other Chronic Diseases to oversee the development of the state plan. The Task Force also will be involved in developing a coordinated infrastructure for nutrition and physical activity initiatives statewide and will oversee plan implementation. Focus area work groups have been formed in three areas:

Fruits and Vegetables/Healthy Eating
Physical Activity and TV Viewing
Breastfeeding
Two other work groups have been established to provide support and technical assistance to the focus area work groups:

Communications and Partnerships
Data and Evaluation
The Data and Evaluation workgroup is providing leadership on the development and evaluation of a comprehensive pilot program using a social marketing planning process. Elementary school-aged children have been identified as the target population. The Communications and Partnerships work group will be developing an electronic newsletter on the program’s progress as well as a communications plan to foster the development of strategies for preventing overweight in children through partnerships.

Priority strategies for environmental change that have been identified in the state plan include

Implementing the school health index.
Increasing the availability of healthy foods in school vending machines.
Establishing worksite wellness programs.
Increasing the availability of community gardens.

Partners
Action for Health Kids–Georgia Team
Amy's Baby Company
American Academy of Pediatrics
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Community Health Center–Savannah
Emory University School of Public Health
Family Connections Partnership
Fort Valley State University Cooperative Extension
Georgia Academy of Family Physicians
Georgia Coalition for Physical Activity and Nutrition
Georgia Dietetics Association
Georgia Dietetics Foundation
Georgia Cardiovascular Health Initiative
Georgia Department of Education
Georgia Department of Transportation
Georgia Division of Public Health, Family Health, Chronic Disease Prevention, and Health Promotion, WIC, and Epidemiology Branches
Georgia Physical Health, Recreation, and Dance Association
Georgia Recreation and Parks Association
Georgia State University
Hispanic Health Coalition
Hyer Dynamic Health Education
International Life Science Institute (ISLI), Centre for Health Promotion
Kids Health, Inc.
Morehouse School of Medicine
Obesity Action Network
University of Georgia Cooperative Extension
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Verizon Wireless
West Georgia Health Systems

Recent Accomplishments and Products
A draft of task force operating guidelines.
A logic model for the state plan development.

Upcoming Events and Products
A comprehensive state plan.
An environmental scan of nutrition and physical activity programs and initiatives in the state.
Community forums on state plan issues.
A Burden of Obesity 2004 report.
Development of a comprehensive pilot intervention program focusing on elementary school-aged children and a work site wellness program.
Project Period: 2003–2008
Year First Funded: 2003
Funding Stage: Capacity building
Contact Person:
Mara Galic, MHSc, RD, LD
Nutrition Program Consultant
Georgia Division of Public Health
Telephone: 404-657-4676
Fax: 404-657-2886
E-mail: migalic@dhr.state.ga.us


Data Sources
CDC BRFSS — CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
CDC PedNSS — CDC’s Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System
CDC YRBSS — CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System
GA YRBSS (etc.) — the individual state’s version of the named survey

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obes...ms/georgia.htm

[Obesity Discussion]

Because of high obesity, Gainesville will benefit from grant
by staff reports

ATLANTA – Gainesville is one of six Georgia cities with school systems that will benefit from a new grant that has been awarded to the state to fight high obesity levels.

Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that Georgia is the recipient of a $100,000 grant from the National Governors Association (NGA) to develop a worksite wellness initiative targeting Georgia’s K-12 school system employees.

As one of 13 states to receive the Healthy States grant, Georgia will use these funds to complement its worksite wellness initiative, through the Live Healthy Georgia Learning Laboratory Project (LHG-LLP,) which is a partnership of the Governor’s Office, the Georgia Department of Human Resources (DHR), the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) and UnitedHealthcare.

“Approximately 59 percent of all Georgians are overweight or obese. As part of the Live Healthy Georgia campaign, we are encouraging all Georgians to Be Active and Eat Healthy,� said Governor Sonny Perdue. “This grant recognizes the work we are doing to improve the health of our employees and their families, and will allow us to expand the work of the Live Healthy Georgia campaign to school system employees.�

School systems in Albany, Atlanta, Augusta, Gainesville, Macon and Savannah will be eligible for the worksite wellness program, because these cities were identified by the Live Healthy Georgia program as areas with higher than average rates of obesity. Planning will begin in September and the worksite wellness initiative should be implemented in the school systems by fall 2007.

“State employees, including school system employees, make up a significant part of Georgia’s working population,� said Dr. Rhonda Medows, DCH commissioner. “By promoting wellness where we live, work and learn, state employees can become the example of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Information and data gained from state employees will help create the Learning Laboratories which is the basis for this Georgia initiative.�

According to the Georgia Hospital Association’s Hospital Discharge Survey, in 2003 Georgia hospitals charged $542 million to treat conditions due to a lack of physical activity.

“When employees are healthy everyone wins — the individual, families, our institutions, and the state of Georgia. It’s the right business and citizenship decision for UnitedHealthcare to support the Live Healthy Georgia Learning Laboratory Project,� according to Dan Ohman, CEO of UnitedHealthcare of Georgia.

The following states are also receiving the NGA Healthy States grants: Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.

The Live Healthy Georgia campaign was designed to provide Georgians with information about simple ways to live healthier and reduce their risk of developing chronic and other diseases. The messages of the campaign are: Eat Healthy, Be Active, Be Smoke Free, Get Checked and Be Positive.

Article

[Obesity Discussion]

Brooks County fights Child Obesity

October 20, 2006

Brooks County - Brooks County Hospital is teaming up with county schools to help fight child obesity.

Hospital staff and nurses say health education is the key, so they visited North Brooks Elementary to test students' blood pressure, blood sugar, weight and height. "If you teach kids at a young age that they need to worry or be concerned about their health, then we've started them young, and they carry that out through their life," says Ladon Tool, an administrator at Brooks County Hospital.

The school staff is also making some changes in the lunch room. To help keep the students at North Brooks Elementary healthy, they've swapped out fatty foods for healthier options and changed the way they prepare popular meals like hamburgers and fries. "We're having more yogurts, more fruits, more vegetables, less fattening items and even some of the things that stayed the same on the lunches, they are made with less fattening ingredients," says Principal Irma Hall.

For healthier drinks and snacks, they traded a vending machine for a slushy machine. "The only drinks they would have access to other than water and milk during the lunch time would be slushies, but we make sure we only sell the kind that are at least 50% juice or more," she adds

They hope taking these steps will teach these young students healthy habits now that will carry through adulthood.

Despite the steps the school has taken, the Brooks County health team has found some abnormal blood pressure and blood sugar results in the schools they've visited. They hope this awareness will help carry these healthier habits out of the school and into the home.

Brooks County fights Child Obesity