Friday, April 28, 2006
Contact: Jessica Robinson, 573-751-0290
Blunt Urges Missourians to Get Healthy for Life
Healthy Americans Week kicks off May 1
JEFFERSON CITY–Gov. Matt Blunt is encouraging Missourians to step up efforts to improve their health. The governor is urging residents to develop healthy lifestyle habits as part of Healthy America Week, a new nationwide program promoting healthier living.
“Healthy choices mean a longer life and a better quality of life for people in Missouri and throughout the nation,” Blunt said. “By improving our own health, we can do our part in helping create a healthier Missouri and a healthier America.”
Governors across the country are promoting Healthy America Week May 1-5. The theme for the event is Healthy America: Wellness Where We Live, Work and Learn.
Last summer, Blunt launched the Healthy Missourians Initiative – a plan calling for better nutrition and physical activity in the state. The plan outlines a number of actions to address Missouri’s obesity problem and encourage a healthier lifestyle for people of all ages.
More than 23 percent of Missouri adults are obese, which increases the risk for many serious and sometimes disabling chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis and some types of cancer. In addition, more than half of all adults in Missouri are overweight, which can eventually lead to obesity and other health problems.
Missouri’s children are also being affected by obesity. In the past five years, the prevalence of obese middle school students increased by 75 percent and the prevalence among high school students increased by 64 percent. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, adolescents who are obese are much more likely to become overweight or obese adults.
Obesity has also become a costly problem for Missouri. Direct medical costs attributed to obesity in Missouri totaled $1.6 billion in 1998, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
Like the Healthy America program, the Healthy Missourians Initiative encourages healthier choices in the community, school and work environments. The Missouri plan outlines a number of actions including:
- Support family-focused community activities that offer healthy nutrition and physical activity opportunities.
- Help schools and child-care facilities provide information about resources to families with children at risk for obesity.
- Recognize successful approaches used by employers that give employees opportunities to improve their nutrition and physical activity during the workday.
- Provide training, resources and assistance to schools, child-care facilities, families, communities and employers.
- Inform public officials about the health and economic costs of obesity.
- Provide support for primary health care facilities to identify and address obesity in its early stages.
“Springtime is a great time to adopt healthier habits. The longer days and better weather make it easier to increase physical activity, and a wider variety of fresh fruits and vegetables can help make meals more nutritious,” Blunt said. “The challenge is maintaining these new habits for a lifetime, but the effort is worth it.”
More information about the Healthy Missourians Initiative can be found at: www.dhss.mo.gov/Obesity/.
Healthy America Week is being sponsored by the National Governors Association. For more information about the program, visit www.nga.org.
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