Obesity Discussion Forums

[Obesity Discussion]

http://www.fha.state.md.us/fha/cphs/npa/index.html

The Epidemic
58% of Maryland adults are overweight or obese. (CDC BRFSS, 2002)
18% of non-Hispanic white adults, 27% of non-Hispanic black adults, and 12% of Hispanic adults in Maryland are obese. (CDC BRFSS, 2002)
29% of low-income children between two and five years of age in Maryland are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. (CDC PedNSS, 2002)
The obesity rate among Maryland adults increased by 62% from 1990 to 2002. (CDC BRFSS, 1990, 2002)

Program Priorities
Expand infrastructure to include internal departments such as WIC, Cardiovascular Health, and Diabetes.
Identify surveillance systems that monitor the risks and prevalence of overweight and obesity.
Provide training/education to Nutrition and Physical Activity coalition partnerships.
Form four working committees to complete the burden of obesity report:
Adult Obesity Assessment Committee.
Childhood Obesity Assessment Committee.
Community/Outreach Assessment Committee.
Policy Assessment Committee.
Develop the Nutrition and Physical Activity to Prevent Obesity State Plan.

Partners
American Cancer Society
American Heart Association
Diabetes Control Program
Division of Cardiovascular Health
Governor's Council on Physical Fitness
Healthy U of Delmarva
The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
Maryland Action for Healthy Kids
Maryland State Department of Education
Maryland Cooperative Extension Service
Morgan State University
University of Maryland

Recent Accomplishments and Products
Established the Maryland’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Coalition.
Created a nutrition and physical activity display for presentations at conferences.
Established a program logo: “Balance for Life.�
Launched the program Web site.

Upcoming Events and Products
Host a regional meeting to expand and strengthen partnerships and identify current nutrition and physical activity programs and initiatives.
Produce a draft of the state plan.
Project Period: 2003–2008
Year First Funded: 2003
Funding Stage: Capacity Building
Contact Person: Lorraine Smith
Chief of Preventive Health Programs
Department of Health and Mental Health
Telephone: 410-767-6811
Fax: 410-333-7411
E-mail: smithl@dhmh.state.md.us
Web site: http://www.fha.state.md.us/fha/cphs/npa/index.html*


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

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obes...s/maryland.htm

[Obesity Discussion]

Maryland Releases Obesity Prevention Plan

By ALEX DOMINGUEZ
Associated Press
Wednesday, May 3, 2006; 3:21 PM



Teachers, doctors and mothers are among those being enlisted in the battle against obesity under a plan released Wednesday by state health officials.

The plan includes aspects such as encouraging breast feeding, which has been tied to lower obesity rates in mothers and their children, requiring all schools to develop and implement wellness policies by June 2006, and ensuring that health care professionals can educate their patients on preventing obesity.

"The plan covers birth to death, basically. It's not just the local county health department, but all of our partners," said Teresa Moore, the Nutrition and Physical Activity Program Coordinator at the state health department's Center for Preventive Health Services.

"It crosses so many settings it will impact families that live in the community."

In 2003, an estimated 2.3 million Maryland adults, or 59 percent of the population, were overweight or obese and the problem was getting worse. Between 1995 and 2003, the prevalence of obesity increased 34 percent, Gov. Robert Ehrlich said in an introduction to the report.

One of the objectives of the plan is to increase the proportion of Maryland adults who are at a healthy weight from 37 percent to 44 percent by 2016.

Maryland is one of 28 states developing plans under grants from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Seven have already completed their plans and are implementing them, Moore said.

In March, U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona said the threat from obesity will dwarf the threat of terrorism if the nation does not reduce the number of overweight Americans.

Carmona said obesity rates have tripled over the past 40 years for children and teens, raising the risk of diabetes and other diseases and noting that for the first time children are being diagnosed with high blood pressure.

Earlier this month, the National Governors Association also announced a national campaign to get Americans to eat and smoke less and exercise more, encompassing everything from bike rides with the South Carolina governor to anti-smoking statutes.

Maryland Health Secretary Anthony McCann said the state's plan includes a variety of approaches.

"Strategies must be implemented where Marylanders live, work, and play," McCann said.

Article